Active Mobility as a Response to Physical Inactivity in Cities

In an era of increasing urbanization intertwined with growing motorized transport modes, one of the main challenges that both developed and developing countries face is physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle of people, which may negatively affect their health due to overweight and obesity. Since the built urban environment both concentrates human activities and shapes activity patterns, its characteristics can have a significant mediating role in reducing or enhancing physical activities as well as active mobility of residents such as walking and cycling. To stimulate physical activity and active mobility across all social groups, planners and policymakers should address context- and people-specific health-related aspects in planning and governing the built environment in cities and urban neighborhoods, defined as health-oriented urban planning. The importance of this approach will be multiplied by considering urbanization as the predominant way of life for most people in the world on the one hand, and active mobility as an inclusive alternative compared to other individual-based interventions in the area of health on the other. On this base, this research aims to explore and explain the relationship between built environment characteristics and the active mobility of residents in urban communities. It will do so by a literature review on how built environment characteristics and context and socioeconomic conditions are associated to enact physical activity/active mobility.