Streets Respond to Urban Environment Sustainability: Analysis Framework of Physical Activity Based on Theoretical Integration

Yu Sun (Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen)

Due to the rapid advancement of urbanization in China, public health has become a key challenge for the sustainable development of the urban environment. To increase public health, walking and cycling of residents in streets should be promoted. Informed by the influencing factors, the street environment needs to be recreated to increase its quality. To obtain a thorough understanding of the underlying problems, a systematic framework for analysis is required that considers the complexity of the involved factors. This study presents the idea of theoretical integration about analyzing these factors. First, the basic logical relationship among the influencing factors of physical activity at all levels involved in the social ecological model is interpreted. Second, the main behavioral psychological variables and the structural relationships among them are fully analyzed with regards to the four health behavior theories about the behavioral decision-making process. Third, a comprehensive and systematic analysis framework is constructed by eliminating residual variables with similar content, while integrating the advantages of four disparate theories. Furthermore, the specific performance of the framework in the street environment is explained. This framework is conducive for the street design guidelines that were published in response to the return of the urban streets to social life in China.