Many Pathways from Land Use to Health: Associations between Neighborhood Walkability and Active Transportation, Body Mass Index, and Air Quality

Abstract

according to some researchers, many zoning and subdivision regulations are doing a poor job of protecting public health, safety, and welfare (Jackson, ; Lavizzo-Mourey & McGinnis, ; Schilling & Linton, ). Zoning ordinances often require separation between residential and other land uses and restrict mixed-use development capable of supporting local retail and regional transit service (Knaap & Nelson, ). Subdivision regulations often favor disconnected cul-de-sac street designs over more connected grid net-works. As a result, the distances between places where people live, work, and play are often too great to walk. In the Seattle region, where this study was based, .% of all work trips and . % of all nonwork trips are made in private vehicles (Puget Sound Regional Council, ). Traveling in vehicles rather than on foot can produce adverse health effects through a variety of mechanisms. For example, a survey of , people in At-lanta, Georgia (Frank, Andresen, & Schmid, ), showed that each additional hour spent in a car per day was associated with a % increase in the odds of