Neighbourhood walkability for older people: A comparative embedded case study examining experiences of walking and socio-political processes in four Ottawa neighbourhoods
Creators: name: Grant, Theresa
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2010
Subjects: subject: Area Planning and Development.
subject: Health Sciences, Public Health.

description: This thesis had four main objectives: 1) to examine older people's walking experiences in the context of their daily lives; 2) to investigate how key informants, at both neighbourhood and municipal levels, describe the socio-political process of creating walkable neighbourhoods; 3) to examine how neighbourhood SES and urban form may inter-relate to affect older people's walking experiences and; 4) to examine differences among neighbourhood key informant perspectives on the socio-political processes that shape the walkability of neighbourhood environments. Objectives were addressed using a comparative embedded case study design. Four neighbourhoods were purposefully selected to vary on SES and urban form. The study was conducted in three phases. During phase one, interviews and focus groups were conducted with older people in order to describe their walking experiences in these four neighbourhoods. In the second phase, these results provided a platform for interviewing key informants about the municipal and neighbourhood-level socio-political processes of creating walkable neighbourhoods. In the third phase, qualitative data from phases one and two, in combination with publicly available quantitative indicators were compared across neighbourhoods using a matrix strategy consisting of SES and urban form axes. Analysis of phase one qualitative data revealed four themes common to older people's walking experiences: 1) multidimensional personal meanings; 2) navigating hostile walking environments; 3) experiencing ambiguity; and 4) getting around. Five dimensions of the socio-political process of creating walkable neighbourhoods were identified in phase two: 1) political context; 2) access channels; 3) resources; 4) actors and; 5) opportunities. These dimensions and their inter-relationships elucidated insights on how neighbourhoods and municipalities interact on walkability issues. Examining the inter-relationship of neighbourhood SES and urban form characteristics on older people's walking experiences in phase three indicated that urban form differences were accentuated positively in higher SES neighbourhoods and negatively in lower SES neighbourhoods. Key informant descriptions of the socio-political processes indicated that differences in these processes can affect neighbourhood capacity to influence decisions at a municipal level. Together, both sets of findings along with quantitative indicator comparisons provided evidence of inequitable walking environments. This research provides new insights on older people's walking experiences by revealing multi-layered meanings affected by intersecting dimensions of the physical and social environment. The experiences are further understood within a socio-ecologic context. An integration of the study data is presented in a theoretical model, which conceptualizes how dynamic community socio-political structures and processes at the individual, neighbourhood and municipal levels inter-relate to affect the production of neighbourhood walkability. The model also depicts four sets of influences operating at various stages in the cycle of local production, which create different conditions for neighbourhood action and which can lead to inequitable walking conditions. This study signals the need for a fundamental shift in thinking about walkability. It calls upon us to re-examine the notion of walkability as an array of historically-determined built environment characteristics and to consider how walkability is shaped by dynamic socio-political processes that can be challenged and influenced. This research highlights the need for municipal policies that promote walking as a legitimate form of transportation and that guarantee equitable access for older people. Municipal governments must monitor and address differences in walkability that exist between socially advantaged and disadvantaged neighbourhoods, ensuring that walking improvements in one neighbourhood do not exacerbate walking problems in another. These approaches may help to support independent living, particularly among older people who rely on walking for transportation. Future population health interventions must aim to reduce inequitable walking conditions among socially advantaged and disadvantaged groups, and must do so in a way that harnesses the dynamic properties of municipal systems. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)