Urban Physical Environments Promoting Active Leisure Travel: An Empirical Study Using Crowdsourced GPS Tracks and Geographic Big Data from Multiple Sources

Yunwen Chen, Binhui Wang, Jing Huang, Hei Gao and Xianfan Shu ()
Additional contact information
Yunwen Chen: College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Binhui Wang: College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Jing Huang: College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Hei Gao: The Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University Co., Ltd., Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310028, China
Xianfan Shu: School of Economics, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-20

Abstract: Specific environmental characteristics can encourage active leisure travel and increase physical activity. However, existing environment-travel studies tend to ignore the differences in environmental characteristics associated with route choice and travel distance, of which the latter could be more important for health benefits, since longer trips are associated with increased exercise. Additionally, the most recent studies focus on leisure walking and leisure cycling, and activities such as hiking, climbing, and running are examined less frequently. This study, therefore, compares the similarities and differences of the environmental factors associated with route selection and travel distance through non-parametric tests and Cox proportional hazard models. The results show that two intersecting sets of environmental elements relate to both the route chosen and the distance traveled. Land use diversity and varied topography are appealing for both leisure trips and trip length. In addition, the differences in environmental characteristics among specific leisure travels may be attributed to variations in physical activity requirements, preferences for landscape viewing, and/or sensitivity to crowding. Therefore, conclusions drawn without considering the different types of leisure travel could be skewed. Whether particular surroundings may effectively increase physical activity remains uncertain. A more holistic perspective could be beneficial when studying the connection between the environment, active travel, and health.

Keywords: built and natural environment; active leisure travel; route selection; travel distance; Cox proportional hazard model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/5/589/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/5/589/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:5:p:589-:d:1385262

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().