Index of Sustainable Accessibility to sports and outdoors

Final presentation of research project

1. MistraSport & Outdoors
Index ofsustainableaccessibilityto
sports and outdoors–Tema 2
Jorge Gil and Susan Ruinaard
DepartmentofArchitectureand Civil Engineering
Chalmers University ofTechnology

2. MistraSport & Outdoors
Introduction
•It is importantthatpeoplehaveregularphysicalactivityand haveeasyaccess to
recreation, relaxation and exercise. Manypeoplearedependenton the carto engagein
suchsports and outdooractivities, eitherbecausesustainablealternatives, suchas
cyclingor public transport, arenot availablewheretheylive, or the activitiesarelocatedin
placeswithlimitedtransport alternatives.
•The goalofland useand transportationpoliciesshouldbe to improveaccessibility,
i.e. ’the easein whichpeoplecanreachplacesand opportunities’.
•Municipalitiesrequireknowledgeaboutthe accessibilityoftheirresidents to sports and
outdoorrecreationactivitiesto informtheircomprehensiveplans.

3. MistraSport & Outdoors
Measuring sustainable accessibility to sports and outdoors
•One can measure accessibility to sports and outdoors facilities by different transport
modes (i.e. walking, cycling, public transport and car) by answering these questions:
1.What is the shortest travel time to the nearest activity, by each mode?
2.How many different activities are within reach, by each mode?
•To answer these questions, there is a need for information on several levels:
•where people live,
•where they participate in sports and outdoor activities,
•and the transportation network and services connecting these locations.

4. MistraSport & Outdoors
Developingan Index of sustainable accessibility to sports and outdoors
3
will generate most trips. The most common activities amongst the Swedish population
(Riksidrottsförbundet, 2011; Fredman et al., 2019; Beijar, 2014) are summarised in Table 1.

Table 1 – Most practiced sports and outdoors activities of the Swedish population.
Sports Outdoors
Football Playground
Other ball sports: Innebandy,
handball, basketball
Walking / running
Ice hockey Swimming outdoors
Gymnastics Picnic
Gym / fitness centre Dog park
Swimming pool Outdoor gym
Horse riding Disc golf
Athletics Urban park
Martial arts

Golf

Tennis


Furthermore, people should have access to these activities from where they live within a
reasonable time (i.e. a maximum of 30 minutes), and by choosing a sustainable transport
mode over the car (i.e. walking, cycling or public transport).

One could consider different travel times for the different activities and for the different
transport modes. However, this would require information on individual preferences and
behaviours, it would result in a very large number of unique accessibility analyses, and the
results would be hard to assess and compare. To communicate the results in a simple and
useful way, we keep the accessibility analyses comparable across all activities and modes and
develop a composite index that is presented in a single map.

The general workflow for measuring accessibility and producing the index is illustrated in
Figure 1, and includes four tasks: data preparation, accessibility analysis, index calculation,
and communication.


Figure 1 – The four tasks of the workflow for measuring accessibility and producing an index
of sustainable accessibility to everyday sports and outdoors.

5. MistraSport & Outdoors
Origins and destinations
3
will generate most trips. The most common activities amongst the Swedish population
(Riksidrottsförbundet, 2011; Fredman et al., 2019; Beijar, 2014) are summarised in Table 1.

Table 1 – Most practiced sports and outdoors activities of the Swedish population.
Sports Outdoors
Football Playground
Other ball sports: Innebandy,
handball, basketball
Walking / running
Ice hockey Swimming outdoors
Gymnastics Picnic
Gym / fitness centre Dog park
Swimming pool Outdoor gym
Horse riding Disc golf
Athletics Urban park
Martial arts

Golf

Tennis


Furthermore, people should have access to these activities from where they live within a
reasonable time (i.e. a maximum of 30 minutes), and by choosing a sustainable transport
mode over the car (i.e. walking, cycling or public transport).

One could consider different travel times for the different activities and for the different
transport modes. However, this would require information on individual preferences and
behaviours, it would result in a very large number of unique accessibility analyses, and the
results would be hard to assess and compare. To communicate the results in a simple and
useful way, we keep the accessibility analyses comparable across all activities and modes and
develop a composite index that is presented in a single map.

The general workflow for measuring accessibility and producing the index is illustrated in
Figure 1, and includes four tasks: data preparation, accessibility analysis, index calculation,
and communication.


Figure 1 – The four tasks of the workflow for measuring accessibility and producing an index
of sustainable accessibility to everyday sports and outdoors.

Lilla Edetpopulation

6. Mistra Sport & Outdoors
Origins and destinations
3
will generate most trips. The most common activities amongst the Swedish population
(Riksidrottsförbundet, 2011; Fredman et al., 2019; Beijar, 2014) are summarised in Table 1.

Table 1 – Most practiced sports and outdoors activities of the Swedish population.
Sports Outdoors
Football Playground
Other ball sports: Innebandy,
handball, basketball
Walking / running
Ice hockey Swimming outdoors
Gymnastics Picnic
Gym / fitness centre Dog park
Swimming pool Outdoor gym
Horse riding Disc golf
Athletics Urban park
Martial arts

Golf

Tennis


Furthermore, people should have access to these activities from where they live within a
reasonable time (i.e. a maximum of 30 minutes), and by choosing a sustainable transport
mode over the car (i.e. walking, cycling or public transport).

One could consider different travel times for the different activities and for the different
transport modes. However, this would require information on individual preferences and
behaviours, it would result in a very large number of unique accessibility analyses, and the
results would be hard to assess and compare. To communicate the results in a simple and
useful way, we keep the accessibility analyses comparable across all activities and modes and
develop a composite index that is presented in a single map.

The general workflow for measuring accessibility and producing the index is illustrated in
Figure 1, and includes four tasks: data preparation, accessibility analysis, index calculation,
and communication.


Figure 1 – The four tasks of the workflow for measuring accessibility and producing an index
of sustainable accessibility to everyday sports and outdoors.

Football locations

7. Mistra Sport & Outdoors
Accessibility to football by car, walking, cycling and public transport: travel time

8. Mistra Sport & Outdoors
Accessibility to football by sustainable modes
•Car offers reach to facilities in the shortest time, in
some cases not within 30 minutes.
•Walking is efficient for local activities, but many
locations do not offer a wide range of activities.
•Cycling increases the reach and offers access to
activities at the city scale.
•Public transport is less flexible, has longer travel time
over short distances, but provides access over longer
distances.
•A combination of sustainable modes can be competitive.

9. Mistra Sport & Outdoors
Index of sustainable accessibility to sport and outdoors: % of activities reached
Lilla Edet Uppsala

10. Mistra Sport & Outdoors
Index of sustainable accessibility to sport and outdoors: % of activities reached
•Sustainable modes cannot offer the same
diversity of activities as the car.
•In larger urban areas the index score is
above 80%.
•In smaller towns one has access to 50-80%
of the activities.
•In rural areas one has access to less than
20% of activities.

11. Mistra Sport & Outdoors
Index of sustainable accessibility to sport and outdoors: % of activities reached
•Sports activities score better in
urban areas.
•Outdoors activities score better
in suburban areas and are less
negative rural areas.

12. Mistra Sport & Outdoors
Perspective from Anna Tauson, Lilla Edet municipality
•Goal for a small municipality with limited
resources is effective planning which
results in optimal circumstances for
accessibility for a large range of the
population.
•If we can only afford to have two football
pitches, where would be an optimal
placement to give access to a large part of
the population and at the same time as a
sustainable way of transportation is
enabled?

13. Mistra Sport & Outdoors
Perspective from Anna Tauson, Lilla Edet municipality
•Or where should we prioritize
development of public transport service
and cycling infrastructure?
•Areas in the municipality with low
accessibility for a large population, can be
considered a democracy issue.
•This can contribute to the overall planning
on a strategic level, especially in the
comprehensive plan. Lilla Edetis
currently working on a new
comprehensive plan, with a group looking
at infrastructure & transport issues.

14. Mistra Sport & Outdoors
Next steps
•Improve data sources: Update OpenStreetMap, national database of sports facilities
•Reproducible: Calculate index for other municipalities in Sweden
•Scalable: Calculate a national index, report results at the DeSO and municipal level
•Interactive: Provide results in a platform that allows exploring the current situation
•Scenarios: Develop tool for testing scenarios, i.e. location of facilities, public transport
services, residential development

15. Mistra Sport & Outdoors
Thank you for your time
[email protected]