The Complexity of Relationship between the Physical Environment and Residents' Walking in Tehran, Iran: A Qualitative S tudy

We know little about the physical environment -walking relationship in middle-eas t countries. There is also a need for qualitative approaches to s tudying this relationship. This s tudy aimed to unders tand the physical contextual factors influencing the everyday walking experience of middle-aged residents in an area of Tehran, Iran. It utilized an inductive qualitative content analysis along with Cons tant Comparative Analysis (CCA). The main themes and categories explored were safety and security (sense of insecurity, sense of inadequate safety), comfort and convenience (lack of physical comfort, accessibility to des tinations and amenities, the possibility to do rhythmic walking, sense of overcrowding), and aes thetics and attractiveness (variety and harmony, cleanliness and maintenance, natural elements). The subset concepts of the categories were also explored, including lighting, presence of others, air pollution, crossing s treets, the surface of sidewalks, walking on the side of s treets roadway, thermal comfort, s tepping s tairs, noise nuisance, dis tances to the neighborhood facilities, sitting places, characteris tics of paths, overloaded s treets, non-local offices and s tores, variety and harmony of building facades, old buildings, a variety of colors, various s tores, enclosure, upkeep of buildings, greenery, presence of water and birds, and natural sounds. Narrow and uneven sidewalks influenced walking in multiple aspects. This s tudy proposed considerations and details to the general urban policies and interventions to encourage walking. The results of this s tudy can facilitate urban designers and planners in creating community built environments, which promote clean transportation and public health.

Keywords:

Walking experience , Built Environment , Qualitative content analysis , Cons tant Comparative Analysis