Citizen-driven innovation to promote active transport in rural conurbations

BackgroundAdolescence and childhood obesity, C02 emissions and air pollution are major social issues.

There is pressure both nationally and internationally to decrease emissions and implement strategies to encourage healthy lifestyles among youth. There is a clear imperative to implement sustainable transport policy. A partial solution to all of these issues is active transport, such as bikes and walking.

While several active travel initiatives are in place in the Skaraborg conurbation, uptake isn’t widespread, particularity in rural areas.Purpose and objectivesThis project aims to use and develop behavioural modelling to gain a greater understanding of rural Scandinavian conurbations in order to create tailored active travel policy interventions.

Further to this, the project will increase understanding about behaviour change initiatives in a Swedish context, and create a policy intervention that might be applicable generally in rural conurbations.MethodologyThe project will use a mixed methods approach and a combination of interviews, surveys and focus groups to collect data from citizens of the region.

Further, evidence-based intervention development tools such as the behaviour change wheel will be used to understand key behavioural determinants in the population, what mechanisms of action might prove useful, and finally to create and develop new strategy documents for active travel.