Creating walkable places: neighbourhood and municipal level perspectives on the socio‐political process in Ottawa, Canada

Abstract

As society faces concerns over rising obesity rates, traffic congestion and global warming, attention is turning to the importance of creating more walkable environments. The objective of this study was to investigate how community stakeholders, at both neighbourhood and municipal levels, describe the socio‐political process of creating walkable neighbourhoods. Thirty‐one key informants were interviewed about walking issues identified by older people in four different neighbourhoods in Ottawa, Canada. Five dimensions of the process were identified through qualitative analysis that elucidated insights on political context, access channels, resources, actors and opportunities. Creating walkable neighbourhoods is ultimately a political process that involves the convergence of resources facilitated by actors who are able to bridge sectors, organizations and levels of the system. Mobilization of resources at the neighbourhood level affected citizens' abilities to utilize access channels and act on opportunity raising considerations around equity. Future efforts to improve walkability will require that conventional bureaucracies develop approaches that are sensitive to place‐based needs.

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