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39
1969 and 2001 in the U.S. Particularly, distance was found to more strongly
influence the trip to school than from school (Yarlagadda & Srinivasan, 2008),
probably linked to different personal and familiar conditions (i.e., time constraint,
management, travel coordination, etc.) between morning and afternoon hours.
Safety
The second most cited barrier following distance in the studies of children’s
travel choice was safety, echoed by the aforementioned parental concerns. Perceived
safety, regardless of its linkage to objective measures (i.e., crime occurrence,
pedestrian collision, etc.), may influence, if not determine, an individual’s decision
to walk. Although evidences are mixed (see Loukaitou-Sideris, 2006 for a review), a
number of studies have found a higher level of walking or physical activity among
people who perceived their neighborhood as safe (e.g., Alfonzo et al., 2008;
Weinstein, Feigley, Pullen, Mann, & Redman, 1999). The association between
perceived safety and walking has been found stronger for vulnerable groups such as
the elderly, ethnic minorities, women, and children (Day, 2006).
Children’s fear and anxiety are likely to vary depending on the level of
exposure to safety related issues, either directly experienced or constructed by
indirect sources, such as media coverage, anecdotal story or parental guidance. Alton
and others (2006) found that children who frequently made their trips on foot were
more likely to perceive that there were heavy traffic in the streets and that roads were
dangerous. Those who did not walk frequently, on the other hand, were concerned
more about strangers. Other studies have also found that children’s concerns and
Object Description
| Title | Walkability as 'freedom': the ecology of school journey in inner city Los Angeles neighborhoods |
| Author | Uhm, Jung A |
| Author email | uhm@usc.edu; j_uhm@hotmail.com |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | planning |
| School | School of Policy, Planning, and Development |
| Date defended/completed | 2008-06-05 |
| Date submitted | 2008 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2008-10-17 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Banerjee, Tridib |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Irazabal, Clara Stoner, Madeleine |
| Abstract | Over the past two decades, rising concerns over childhood obesity and its health effects have brought the issue of "walkability" to the forefront in creating a child friendly environment. Particularly, the idea of promoting children walking to and from school has gained widespread support among policy makers, public health officials, civic organizations, and planners as a way to increase physical activity among children to prevent obesity. Recent policies and programs however are based on an assumption about the direct influence of the built environment on school travel mode, of which parents' values and perceptions are considered prominent in determining environmental attributes related to children walking to school.; This research proposes a conceptual framework in understanding the relationship between the environment and children's travel by adding a crucial link generally missing in current walkability research - children. By proposing the notion of walkability as freedom, this study attempts to draw attentions to children's choices and real opportunities and factors that either facilitate or prohibit children in or from actualizing what they value (walking to school as one of many). With this goal, this research explored the elements of a walkable environment through the eyes of ethnic minority children attending five elementary schools in inner city Los Angeles.; Through the triangulation of capability approach, child-centered participatory methods, and ecological perspectives, the findings demonstrate children's capacity not only to observe and understand the environment, but also to evaluate and reflect on making their neighborhood environment safer and walkable on their own terms.; This research suggests a shift in policy focus from the provision and improvement of environmental resources to the enhancement of individual freedom by increasing children's participatory capability. The results of this study advance the discussion on the relationship between active school travel and the environment by bringing children into the foreground within the spheres of ecological transaction. |
| Keyword | capability; children; inner-city neighborhood; perception; school travel; walkability |
| Geographic subject | educational facilities: Foshay Learning Center; educational facilities: Norwood Street Elementary School; educational facilities: St. Agnes Parish School; educational facilities: Vermont Avenue Elementary School; educational facilities: Lenicia B. Weemes Elementary School |
| Geographic subject (city or populated place) | Los Angeles |
| Geographic subject (state) | California |
| Coverage date | circa 2008 |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m1671 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Uhm, Jung A |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Uhm-2224 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume29/etd-Uhm-2224.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 49 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 39 1969 and 2001 in the U.S. Particularly, distance was found to more strongly influence the trip to school than from school (Yarlagadda & Srinivasan, 2008), probably linked to different personal and familiar conditions (i.e., time constraint, management, travel coordination, etc.) between morning and afternoon hours. Safety The second most cited barrier following distance in the studies of children’s travel choice was safety, echoed by the aforementioned parental concerns. Perceived safety, regardless of its linkage to objective measures (i.e., crime occurrence, pedestrian collision, etc.), may influence, if not determine, an individual’s decision to walk. Although evidences are mixed (see Loukaitou-Sideris, 2006 for a review), a number of studies have found a higher level of walking or physical activity among people who perceived their neighborhood as safe (e.g., Alfonzo et al., 2008; Weinstein, Feigley, Pullen, Mann, & Redman, 1999). The association between perceived safety and walking has been found stronger for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, ethnic minorities, women, and children (Day, 2006). Children’s fear and anxiety are likely to vary depending on the level of exposure to safety related issues, either directly experienced or constructed by indirect sources, such as media coverage, anecdotal story or parental guidance. Alton and others (2006) found that children who frequently made their trips on foot were more likely to perceive that there were heavy traffic in the streets and that roads were dangerous. Those who did not walk frequently, on the other hand, were concerned more about strangers. Other studies have also found that children’s concerns and |
