Universal or local preferences? The perceived importance of the urban environment on active travel behaviour in Europe across populations

Source abstract

Research shows that the urban environment is a major determinant of active travel behaviour. However, it remains unclear to what extent its importance across socio-demographic groups is universal or altered by local city-specific contexts. In this study, we used a large survey sample with almost 5000 respondents from five European metropolitan areas – Helsinki, Copenhagen, London, Munich and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – to study how travel behaviour is shaped by the perceived importance of urban environment. These cities differ in size, population, climate and the prevalence of active travel, providing a diverse sample of geographic and cultural contexts. Using binary logit models, we examined universal trends and city-level variations in the perceived importance of the urban environment for trip-making, mode and route choices, and explored socio-demographic associations. The models were controlled for measured built environment characteristics in respondents' home neighbourhoods. Our findings indicate varying strength of associations across cities and travel choices, with urban environment having a stronger association with mode and route choices than with trip-making. Among socio-demographic groups, the urban environment most consistently shapes travel choices for respondents that have children in the household and are highly educated. Furthermore, socio-demographic associations differ between cities. These findings underscore the importance of tailoring active travel policies and interventions to local contexts and demographic groups rather than planning for the average city and citizen, as universal transport strategies may overlook critical city-specific dynamics and differences between groups.