The Built Environment and Children’s Active Commuting to School: A Case Study of San Pedro De Macoris, the Dominican Republic

Maite Adames Torres, Hye Won Oh and Jeongwoo Lee ()
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Maite Adames Torres: Department of Urban Development and Policy, Graduate School, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Korea
Hye Won Oh: Department of Urban Design and Studies, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Korea
Jeongwoo Lee: Department of Urban Design and Studies, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Korea

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 9, 1-19

Abstract: While car-centric culture and children’s mobility have been studied in industrialized countries, there are limited data on developing countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. This study analyzes children’s active transportation to school in the Dominican Republic using audit observations of the built environment and surveys. The study assesses how parents’ and children’s environmental perceptions vary and how children’s mode choice is influenced by physical features and perceived safety levels. Land use and built environment attributes were evaluated for each street segment within a 400-m radius of 20 schools using the audit method. The findings indicate that safety problems are the main obstacle preventing children from bicycling or walking to school. Particularly, industrial land use, abandoned buildings, and bars hampered children’s active travels to school. Interestingly, public school students are nearly four times more likely to walk or bike to school than private school students. Furthermore, children who live in an area with fast-moving cars were more inclined to walk to school as captive walkers. The study’s conclusions have implications for urban environments where children’s independent mobility is constrained by car-oriented policies.

Keywords: active commuting to school; mode choice; land use; built environment; safety; children; Dominican Republic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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