Person-Environment Interactions in the Context of Active Mobility and Social Participation in Urban Neighborhood Environments : A Social-Ecological Perspective

Abstract

Background Like most countries around the world, Germany is facing steady urbanization. To prepare for this population growth, cities must find sustainable ways to grow while ensuring their residents’ health. Among the various determinants of urban health, research has identified health behaviors – such as active mobility and social participation – to have significant potential in this context. Through urban neighborhoods (consisting of the social, natural, and built environment) that promote residents’ engagement in active mobility and social participation, various positive effects on health and livability can be achieved. However, the associations and interactions of the social, natural, and built environment, as well as their influence on individuals’ behavior, are very complex and research inconsistent. Method To address this knowledge gap, this cumulative dissertation investigated person-environment interactions in the context of active mobility and social participation inurban neighborhood environments. Epistemologically, this work is grounded in Critical Realism and adopts a social-ecological perspective in its investigations. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach was used, which consists of two ambulatory assessments, one cross-sectional survey, and three focus group interviews. This integration of the four studies allowed to address the complex dynamics of person-environment interactions. In more detail, the first study introduced a novel and innovative ambulatory assessment with walking-triggered electronic diaries that was utilized to assess the feasibility of collecting high-quality, real-life data on person-environment interactions in urban neighborhood environments. The second study utilized the new trigger from study one and examined intra-individual associations between environmental greenness, social participation, and mental health during active mobility. The third study builds upon the first two. It used a cross-sectional design to investigate more broad inter-individual differences concerning active mobility, social participation, and subjective neighborhood perceptions across neighborhoods with varying objectively determined conduciveness for active mobility and social participation. Also, it was analyzed whether the neighborhoods’ objective characterization moderates associations between active mobility and subjective neighborhood perceptions with social participation. Finally, three qualitative focus group interviews were conducted for an in-depth exploration of barriers and facilitators that residents report to influence their (non) engagement in active mobility and social participation. Results The results of the four studies are consequential. First of all, the new ambulatory assessment design was positively validated. Secondly, the investigation of individuals while they engage in active mobility revealed important information about associations between environmental greenness, social participation, and mental health. Thirdly, the findings support the necessity of considering both objective and subjective characterizations of urban neighborhood environments concerning (non) engagement in health-behaviors. Additionally, important interrelations between active mobility, environmental factors, and social participation were identified against the background of different objective neighborhood characterizations. Moreover, the insights provided by the residents underline the value of including those who are affected most when planning interventions or environmental changes: In short, neighborhood-specificity is to be preferred over ‘one-size-fits-all’ approaches; ‘the more the merrier’ of objective environmental characterizations does not always apply, and individuals’ behavior is not deterministic but probabilistic, complicating research. Conclusion Cumulatively, the integration of time- and event-sensitive data, a cross-sectional overview of residents’ behavior and perceptions, as well as in-depth insights into their experiences provide valuable information and guidance. Research can benefit from considering the findings, implications, limitations, and strengths of this dissertation to improve future research and ultimately help to design health-promoting urban neighborhoods.