The Relationship Between Walkability and Public Health

New research indicates that improving public health requires targeted investments in more than just pedestrian facilities.

2 minute read

March 2, 2022, 9:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


walkable street

Dewita Soeharjono / Flickr

Nikita Amir reports on a recent study of public health outcomes from the MAP Center for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto which reveals that "walkability isn’t just restricted to elements of infrastructure—it’s also mediated by racial injustice, food supply, and pollution."

The study's authors evaluated existing research linking physical activity and disease "to understand how a resident’s ability to walk around their neighborhoods is linked to the likelihood of obesity and diabetes," writes Amir. Gillian Booth, a scientist at the MAP Center for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Canada, and her co-author Nicholas Howell created a "walkability index" that combined a variety of factors that affect whether residents of an area can safely walk around their neighborhood and access businesses and transit.

The researchers found that public health metrics varied across neighborhoods, and that  pedestrian infrastructure (such as sidewalks) alone don't indicate a healthier neighborhood.

"For example, Booth and her co-author learned that in places with higher air pollution or traffic congestion, it wasn’t as beneficial to be able to stroll around as in cleaner, quieter neighborhoods. In the more polluted areas, residents had a higher risk of illnesses such as heart disease or dementia. In essence, any gains made by being able to walk around the neighborhood were washed away by the increased concentration of fuel emissions in the air."

Additionally, "Factors like food apartheids with a lack of healthy eating options or access to green spaces can also be traced to systemic social and racial inequities. Many low-income communities live in places that have been intentionally designed without walkability or abundant resources like parks and grocery stores in mind." The study's authors acknowledge the limitations of their research, which often didn't include socioeconomic factors.

The study could play a role in figuring out how cities can design healthy, sustainable infrastructure that addresses public health from all angles including walkability, air quality, stormwater management, open space, and transportation.

Monday, February 28, 2022 in Popular Science

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Aerial view of single-family homes with swimming pools in San Diego, California.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule

The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

March 9, 2025 - Axios

Green electric Volkswagen van against a beach backdrop.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan

Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

March 3, 2025 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

Canadian flag in foreground with blurred Canadian Parliament building in background in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Has President Trump Met His Match?

Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.

March 11, 2025 - Toronto Star

Orange Biketown bike share bikes parked at station on sidewalk in Portland, Oregon,

Biketown Lives

Despite public perception of its decline, Portland’s bike share system is alive and well.

16 minutes ago - Willamette Week

Quiet tree-lined street in Stockholm, Sweden in summer.

‘Stockholm Tree Pit’ Saves Dying Urban Trees

After noticing that two-thirds of its trees were dying, Stockholm developed a new planting method to protect trees surrounded by concrete.

1 hour ago - Reasons to Be Cheerful

Green Detroit public transit electric bus with high-rise modenr building in background.

Analysis: Just 5 Percent of Detroit Bus Stops Have Shelters

The city’s thousands of bus stops are sorely lacking in seating and shelters to protect riders from rain, snow, and sun.

2 hours ago - Bridge Detroit