Walking to local destinations; perceived versus actual distance

Walking is regarded as the easiest and simplest positive change that can be made to improve human health indirectly. As the most common form of physical activity, walking may be encouraged by opportunities for utilitarian walking, as those who live in areas with higher accessibility to local destinations are more likely to walk longer distances. However, the critical question is that how close destinations need to be for residents to know they are located and consequently walk to them. It is assumed that individual’s perception of walking distance to destinations is different from the actual distance and the difference is dependent on the type of destination, walking experience level as well as the socio-demographic profile of the individual. In this regard, this study attempted to find out the discrepancy between perceived and actual distances and its’ association with personal characteristics/habits for a sample of residents (n= 237) lived in Metropolitan Shiraz, Southwest Iran in late 2013. The comparative analysis of data collected through questionnaire survey showed that irrespective of gender, the longer distances the residents walked; the more accurate they estimated the distance they had walked. Different age groups differed in their estimations of distances to facilities. Interestingly, elders were better able to estimate the distance to their daily routine destinations; however, younger adults were able to estimate the distance to recreational facilities more precisely. The result also showed the more satisfied the residents were with their neighborhood, the more correctly they could estimate the distances of different places in the neighborhood. As an implication of this study, it is crucial for urban planners to watch and be aware of how residents perceive their neighbourhood area in order to increase physical activity/walking level through decreasing the perceived distance to local destinations.