Toward an Integrated Model for Soft-Mobility

David Chapman,Agneta Larsson

doi:10.3390/ijerph16193669

Abstract

A key urban design challenge is to create built environments that encourage outdoor activity all year round. This study explores a new model for soft-mobility that places the interaction between the urban form, the seasonal climate and climate change, and the individual at the center of people’s soft-mobility choices, or in more general, their modal choice. The research methods used were comparative studies of documents, surveys, mental mapping, and photo elicitation. These studies were undertaken to research people’s outdoor activity in the built environment during the winter season of a cold climate settlement. The results were analyzed against the three-dimensions of the model. In the discussion it is argued that in places with significant climate variation, the interaction between the urban form, the season, and the individual together influence soft-mobility choices. In turn, these interactions influence people’s level of outdoor activity and the individual health benefits such activity can afford. In conclusion, it is highlighted that all three dimensions of the model are in a constant state of change and evolution, especially in relation to planning and development processes and climate change.

Highlights

In the context of sustainable urban development, good urban design is design that enhances opportunities to be outdoors in the public realm
The aim of this study is to test this proposition in the winter settlement of Luleå, Sweden, which experiences significant seasonal climate variation and is subject to rapid ongoing climate change [3,4]
A systematic literature review of publications addressing the urban design of winter cities was undertaken

Summary

Introduction

In the context of sustainable urban development, good urban design is design that enhances opportunities to be outdoors in the public realm. A key premise of this work is that the built environment and the climate play central roles in determining how people use the outdoor environment and the public realm. The aim of this study is to test this proposition in the winter settlement of Luleå, Sweden, which experiences significant seasonal climate variation and is subject to rapid ongoing climate change [3,4]. This testing is problematized around the central research question; what attracts and hinders people from being outdoors in the built environment during the winter season and how can this knowledge underpin a model for soft-mobility?

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion