Clark, James (2024) Unraveling the nexus between the built environment, active transportation, and health perceptions: a qualitative analysis of Los Angeles residents across income, age, and gender. Master thesis.
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Abstract
Active travel modes such as walking, cycling, and public transit are often cited as providing their users with a plethora of benefits for physical and mental health outcomes, but this research is limited in sprawling, car-dependent contexts such as Los Angeles, and is methodologically limited predominately to quantitative studies. This study, qualitative in nature, seeks to investigate how (perceptions of) built environment characteristics and the socioeconomic factors of income, age, and gender, converge to influence travel behavior across three Los Angeles neighborhoods, and how this in turn impacts residents’ perceptions of their own physical and mental health. This study explores the interplay between the socioeconomic factors of income, age, and gender, as well as built environment characteristics, travel attitudes and behavior, and health perceptions by conducting semi-structured interviews with 16 residents of the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Exposition Park, Koreatown, and Westchester. These interviews expand upon US Census and American Community Survey data to provide a more holistic look into the lives of Los Angeles residents in order to better understand the lived experiences of individuals of various socioeconomic groups with varying travel behavior patterns, built environment perceptions, and physical and mental health perceptions. The findings reveal variations in travel behavior preferences across neighborhoods and sociodemographic groups. Contrary to literature from other cities, higher-income residents in higher-density Los Angeles neighborhoods appear more likely to utilize public transportation, as they are more likely to work flexible jobs more conducive to budgeting longer commute times. On the other hand, lower-income residents, regardless of neighborhood density, are all-but forced into car dependency due to the inflexibility of lower-paying jobs. In line with the literature, older adults are more likely to use a car to meet their travel needs due to physical constraints. Also aligning with the literature, women and gender minorities express heightened concerns regarding personal safety on public transit. Regardless of sociodemographic group or neighborhood, interviewees report higher perceptions of physical and mental health in regard to active travel modes. The findings of this study reinforce the idea that built environments and transportation systems require a fundamental overhaul to better meet the needs of people of various socioeconomic situations, ages and abilities, and gender expressions, arguing that this will provision higher rates of active transportation, greater equity, and improved health perceptions and outcomes.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Degree programme: | Environmental & Infrastructure Planning |
| Supervisor: | Ramezani, S. |
| Date Deposited: | 08 Jul 2024 12:11 |
| Last Modified: | 08 Aug 2024 10:14 |
| URI: | https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/4563 |
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