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70
While the perceived safety was positively associated with active commuting
to school, it appeared that children still had to overcome various traffic barriers en
route to school. When asked about things that they have to do when travel to or from
school, children addressed problems associated with crossing the street most
frequently with a good agreement among children from the five schools (Kendall’s
W=.60, p<.01). Almost every other child (46.8%) had to cross a road without a
crossing guard and over 26% of the children reported that they crossed a road with a
heavy traffic or crossed many driveways (Table 5.7).
Table 5.7 Child Encountered Traffic Barriers en route to School (in rank order)
YES
Rank†
Barriers encountered
Total
(n=94)
Active
(n=50)
Passive
(n=44)
1 Cross a road where there is no
crossing guard††
46.8% 52.0% 40.9%
2 Cross a road with a heavy traffic 26.6% 24.0% 29.5%
2 Cross many driveways 26.6% 28.0% 25.0%
4 Cross a road where there is no stop
sign or signal
21.3% 26.0% 15.9%
5 Cross a road where cars are moving
fast
19.1% 10.0% 4.5%
6 Cross a road where there is no
crosswalk
16.0% 22.0% 9.1%
7 Walk/bike through an underpass 11.7% 12.0% 11.4%
8 Walk/bike through a parking lot or a
vacant lot
8.5% 6.0% 11.4%
9 Walk/bike in a road because there is
no sidewalk/bicycle path
6.4% 10.0% 4.5%
9 Walk/bike through an alley 6.4% 10.0% 2.3%
† Ranking is based on the total response
††This item is the percentage of children who did not mark on ‘cross a road where there is a
crossing guard’
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 80 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 70 While the perceived safety was positively associated with active commuting to school, it appeared that children still had to overcome various traffic barriers en route to school. When asked about things that they have to do when travel to or from school, children addressed problems associated with crossing the street most frequently with a good agreement among children from the five schools (Kendall’s W=.60, p<.01). Almost every other child (46.8%) had to cross a road without a crossing guard and over 26% of the children reported that they crossed a road with a heavy traffic or crossed many driveways (Table 5.7). Table 5.7 Child Encountered Traffic Barriers en route to School (in rank order) YES Rank† Barriers encountered Total (n=94) Active (n=50) Passive (n=44) 1 Cross a road where there is no crossing guard†† 46.8% 52.0% 40.9% 2 Cross a road with a heavy traffic 26.6% 24.0% 29.5% 2 Cross many driveways 26.6% 28.0% 25.0% 4 Cross a road where there is no stop sign or signal 21.3% 26.0% 15.9% 5 Cross a road where cars are moving fast 19.1% 10.0% 4.5% 6 Cross a road where there is no crosswalk 16.0% 22.0% 9.1% 7 Walk/bike through an underpass 11.7% 12.0% 11.4% 8 Walk/bike through a parking lot or a vacant lot 8.5% 6.0% 11.4% 9 Walk/bike in a road because there is no sidewalk/bicycle path 6.4% 10.0% 4.5% 9 Walk/bike through an alley 6.4% 10.0% 2.3% † Ranking is based on the total response ††This item is the percentage of children who did not mark on ‘cross a road where there is a crossing guard’ |
