University of California Transportation Center

Car-dependent cities, some claim, contribute to obesity by discouraging walking and bicycling. This paper uses household activity data from the San Francisco region to study the links between urban environments and non-motorized travel. Factor analysis is used to represent the urban design and land-use diversity dimensions of built environments. Combining factor scores with control variables, like steep terrain, which gauge impediments to walking and cycling, discrete-choice models are estimated. Builtenvironment factors exerted far weaker, though not inconsequential, influences on walking and cycling than control variables. Stronger evidence on the importance of urban landscapes in shaping foot and bicycle travel is needed if the urban planning and public health professions are to forge an effective alliance against car-dependent sprawl.