Promoting active aging in Brazil: A longitudinal study of land use mix and utilitarian walking in older adults

• Published in: Cities Vol. 154; p. 105318
• Main Authors: Saboya, Renato Tibiriçá de, D'Orsi, Eleonora, Keivani, Ramin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2024
• Subjects: Configurational accessibility; Land use mix; Non-residential uses; Older adults; Utilitarian walking; Configurational accessibility; Land use mix; Non-residential uses; Older adults; Utilitarian walking
• ISSN: 0264-2751
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2024.105318

Despite walking being common among older adults, international evidence suggests its prevalence is lower compared to other age groups. Land use mix (LUM) is believed to encourage walking, but in the context of Brazilian and other Latin American cities, empirical evidence for this association for older age groups is lacking. Moreover, existing studies for this cohort usually employ a cross-sectional design, weakening the robustness of conclusions. This study addresses these gaps by investigating the impact of LUM on utilitarian walking in Brazil using a longitudinal approach with 566 older adults. Logistic regression analyses reveal significant positive associations between walking and two LUM measures (entropy and objective NEWS diversity), indicating that land use diversity plays a crucial role beyond local accessibility and non-residential availability, even within the context of Brazilian cities. Therefore, the attractiveness of walking for transportation among older adults can be amplified through a combination of diverse amenities, closer proximity to residential areas, and an equitable distribution of land uses coupled with more locally integrated street layouts that allow easy access to nearby surroundings. Practical steps include participatory local street design and development planning to enable grid intensification, avoidance of monofunctional zones and planning incentives for multifunctional developments. •Land use mix (LUM) showed statistically significant associations with walking in older adults.•This association holds even under potentially adverse circumstances faced by Brazilian Cities.•Walking may be encouraged by a combination of LUM and permeable street grids.•It is important to avoid the overrepresentation of one or a few types of uses.•Higher residential densities could also be used to encourage walking.