Sustainable, active transport: a public health perspective

In this chapter, sustainable, active transport will be discussed from a Public Health perspective. After introducing health benefits and measurement methods, the influencing factors of active transport are presented, with a focus on the physical environment. A distinction will be made between “macro- environments” (i.e. accessibility of destinations) and “micro-environments” (i.e. specific street characteristics such as quality of infrastructure). Results from Flemish research on the association of macro- and micro-environments with active transport among four different age groups will be presented. Although it is difficult to provide “one fits all” advice on how the physical environment should be designed to promote active transport, our results suggest that accessibility of destinations and quality of the walking and cycling infrastructure are key factors .