Built environment and children's travel to school

Abstract

© 2015. The decline in children's active travel has significant implications for urban planning and sustainable mobility. This research explores the influence of built environment on children's travel to school across a range of typical urban environments in Australia. The analysis draws on a sample of children and their parents from nine primary schools across four urban regions: Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Rockhampton. The built environment features for each school neighbourhood are measured. An analysis of travel, socio-demographics and attitudes to travel is conducted. The findings indicate that children residing in built environments that are more dense and urban are significantly associated with more active travel to school and for other journey purposes. Distance to school is critical for active travel (AT) and many children lived beyond walking distance. While built environment is important, a decisive role for children's active travel to school and other places is seen in the combination of preferences and licences. Children who AT prefer to be more autonomous/independent travellers and have parents who foster their IM; conversely, children's preferences for being driven coincides with parents' fears for IM and lack of confidence in their children abilities to travel independently.