Transit & Active Transportation Require Supportive Community Design

The document outlines how the built environment influences travel behavior, emphasizing that walkable neighborhood design increases the frequency of walking, cycling, and transit use. It details the '5 D's' of community design—Density, Diversity, Design, Destination, and Distance—as the primary factors impacting these choices. Key elements include population density to support services, land use diversity to place destinations in close proximity, safety-enhancing design features like bicycle lanes and traffic calming, and the accessibility of destinations and transit stops within specific distance thresholds.

• There is a strong statistical link between the built environment and travel behavior, with the man-made surroundings accounting for between 48% and 90% of differences in walking levels. A Toronto study demonstrated that residents in the most walkable neighborhoods walk for utilitarian purposes 2.7 times more often and use transit 2.5 times more often than those in the least walkable areas, while also having a Body Mass Index (BMI) that is one point lower on average.
• The '5 D's' of community design—Density, Diversity, Design, Destination, and Distance—are the most impactful elements for promoting active transportation. Population density is necessary to support efficient transit and retail, while land use diversity (the proximity of residences, jobs, and schools) increases the likelihood of meeting daily needs without a car.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (2017). Transit & Active Transportation Require Supportive Community Design. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CAPE-AT-Community-Design-BCK-2018.pdf

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Transit & Active Transportation Require Supportive Community Design. 2017. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CAPE-AT-Community-Design-BCK-2018.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=Transit & Active Transportation Require Supportive Community Design |date=March 2017 |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CAPE-AT-Community-Design-BCK-2018.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironment2017transit, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{Transit \& Active Transportation Require Supportive Community Design}}, institution = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2017}, month = mar, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CAPE-AT-Community-Design-BCK-2018.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }