Obesogenic Environments, Physical Activity and Travel Choice

15th UKPHA Conference April 2007

Does the Built Environment

affect Travel Choice
& Physical Activity?

Dr Salim Vohra, Peter Brett Associates

Built environment & health in context:
a complex web of factors

Adapted from Dahlgren, G. and Whitehead, M. (1991). Policies and strategies to promote social equity in health.
Institute for Future Studies, Stockholm.
Health impacts of the built environment

From the Institute of Public Health in Ireland (2006). Health impacts of the built environment: a review
 Public health and the built environment

 19th Century: growth of urban areas  food and water

quality, sanitation  infectious diseases and malnutrition
 focus on physical health

 20th Century: growth of suburban areas  car

dependency, sprawling communities  chronic diseases
and obesity  focus on physical and mental health

 21st Century: healthy and sustainable communities 

predominance of walking, cycling and mass transport
systems  focus on physical, mental and social
wellbeing

Adapted from Marya Morris (2002). Physical activity and the built environment presentation, American Planning Association
WHO DPSEEA ‘deep sea’ framework:
a trend and policy analysis tool

Driving
Forces

Pressures

Actions
State

Exposure

Effects
 Applying the ‘deep sea’ framework in practice:
built environment - travel choice – physical activity

Social - increasing prosperity, changing family structures, rising expectations

Driving Economic - mass manufacturing of cars; move from manufacturing to service jobs,
Forces Cultural - cars seen as liberating, enabling and symbol of status, modernity and
progress; long hours, commuting and ‘I want it now’ culture…

Built environments – cars at the heart of urban design, services no longer

Pressures designed with walking and cycling as predominant travel choices, public
transport becomes uneconomic, planning pressures moved key amenities
out of urban centres without a consequent designing in of alternative
travel modes…

Built environments – become ‘hostile’ and difficult places for walkers,

Actions
cyclists and public transport users creating a vicious circle where
people are pushed into greater and greater reliance on cars…
State
Built environments – ‘exposes’ car users to reduced physical activity,
sense of urgency in everyday activities and ‘cocoons’ them from seeing
the deterioration in their local community. For walkers/cyclists/public
transport users it exposes them to car emissions, accidents, cluttering
and narrowing of streets and public spaces, physical encroachment
through roads, car parking spaces, cars parked on pavements…
Exposure
Reduced physical activity (leading to reduced muscle tone and mass,
Effects reduced energy use, exposure to air pollutants, increased psychological
stress and distress, sense of community/isolation…
 Creating walkable communities

 Designing and developing communities that promote and

encourage safe physical activity
 Siting public buildings
 Ensuring and enhancing public greenspace
 Providing amenities/conveniences for active people –
pavement requirements, bicycle facilities
 Multiple multi-modal connected routes through
neighbourhoods
 Lighting and street furniture
 public art
 cleanliness
 Creating networks of change

Strategic &
Development Residents
Planning Associations
Sports &
Public Health Leisure Families
Facilities
Environmental Arts & Culture
& others
Health Amenities

Schools Media Police

Transport
Planning & Employers
Development
Transport
Environment
Children
Sustainability
NGOs