How the Built Environment Moderates Gender Gap in Active Commuting to Schools

Area of Science:

• Urban Planning
• Public Health
• Environmental Psychology

Background:

• Active school travel (AST) is vital for child health.
• Built environmental (BE) factors and sociodemographic variables influence travel choices.
• Limited research addresses gender differences in AST.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate gender-specific influences of BE, network design, and sociodemographics on AST.
• To assess how distance elasticity of walking differs between boys and girls.
• To inform gender-sensitive urban planning for promoting AST.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 1260 primary school children (grades 1-6) in Shiraz.
• Data collected from single-gender public schools in November 2019.
• Analysis focused on built environment features, network design parameters, and sociodemographic factors.

Main Results:

• Boys demonstrated a higher propensity for walking than girls.
• Boys' walking behavior showed lower elasticity concerning distance compared to girls.
• Street connectivity positively correlated with walking, but network choice parameters negatively impacted walking within 800m.

Conclusions:

• Gender disparities significantly affect active school travel patterns.
• Urban planning policies must integrate gender considerations to effectively promote AST.
• Understanding these differences is crucial in developing countries.