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human awareness (Kremers et al.
2006
). However, perception and cognition are
not physically measurable, and the objective measurements do not effectively
complement their subjective counterparts. Validated and consistent measurements
of the built environment, both objective and subjective, are required and will lead
to more meaningful empirical studies. (2) The nature of the influence, to “forecast”
or to “understand”: a rarely mentioned question is “why, after all, a relationship
should exist between travel behavior and built environment” (Van Acker et al.
2010
). To understand the nature of the influence, we need to explore how the built
environment factors into the human decision-making process (Handy
2005
;Boarnet
and Crane
2001
). Forecast models such as the discrete choice model are useful
and widely adopted in transportation research. However, the specific attributes
that should be attached to choice alternatives are calibrated only from proposed
built environment attributes and collected travel behavior data, and are hence not
enough to truly understand walking behavior. Social psychology focuses on how
people think, feel and behave, and how these thoughts, feelings and behaviors are
influenced by others. The theory of planned behavior (TPB), a more structural
theory, should indicate whether we should use these variables and introduce hints
for understanding human behavior. The combination of a discrete choice model and
the TPB holds promise. (3) The application of Western experiences to Chinese
cities: a great majority of studies on this subject are based on Western cities.
Conclusions drawn from developed countries' experiences may not be applicable in
other contexts, especially to countries like China that are undergoing rapid economic
growth and urban development (Shen
1997
; Pan et al.
2009
). The transferability
of primary study findings and recommendations to Chinese cities remains to be
tested.
This paper attempts to provide an overview of measurement issues, behavior
theory underpinnings, modeling strategies concerning the influence of built environ-
ment on walking behavior, and empirical studies in a Chinese context. Following
this introduction, Sect.
5.2
discusses measurement of the built environment and
walking behavior. Section
5.3
introduces the theoretical basis. Section
5.4
describes
our conceptual model and study design. Section
5.5
examines the specific charac-
teristics of Chinese cities and elaborates on the study progress in China. Concluding
remarks and comments on future work are given in Sect.
5.6
.
5.2
Measurement Issues
Heath et al. (
2006
) call for a better conceptualization of the built environment to
guide measurement of their components (Heath et al.
2006
). Without a generic
conceptualization, empirical studies could lack the appropriate guidance. Validated
and consistent measurements of the built environment and walking behavior are still
required (Cunningham and Michael
2004
).
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