Abstract
Car-oriented city development accelerated the pace of life, resulting in side effects related to health. In 2012, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced a master plan for walkable city in order to create a healthy environment. However, the prevalence of walking in Seoul is declining. To improve understanding of urban walking in Seoul, we applied a systems thinking approach where a Casual Loop Diagram (CLD) of systems dynamics was constructed based on qualitative study results, literature review and expert discussions. The CLD included three reinforcing loops and four balancing loops. Reinforcing loops consisted of: social pressure to use public transportation to decrease air pollution and traffic congestion; online information widely available about good places to walk; and installation of pedestrian-only street to increase safety. Balancing loops included: suburbanization caused by rising real estate prices that induces automobile use; reduced frequency of going out with increased online services; opposition of local businesses to pedestrian-only streets for the fear of losing customers with automobiles; and community safety concerns with pedestrian-only streets that may reduce accessibility of firefighting vehicles. Urban walking is influenced by complicated causal relationships among urban features including transportation, housing, environment, safety, and economy that create socio-cultural contexts of a city. The development and implementation of policies for a walkable city require multi-sectoral cooperation to solve the cyclic causal structure. Evaluation areas for policy effects should also be diversified accordingly.
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
Public Health Policies and Practices
KEYWORDS
Walking, Policy, Urbanization
Digital Media
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