IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/transa/v192y2025ics0965856424003884.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The role of perceived and objective accessibility in shaping walking behavior: Insights from mid-sized Spanish cities

Author

Listed:
  • Orrego-Oñate, Jaime
  • Marquet, Oriol

Abstract

Understanding the relationship between perceived and objective accessibility is critical for promoting urban mobility. This study explores the relationship between perceived and objective accessibility in shaping pedestrian behavior within mid-sized Spanish cities characterized by high activity density. Using perceived proximity as a proxy for accessibility, the study evaluates how these two measures influence travel mode choices across various trip purposes. The results suggest that perceived accessibility mediates the relationship between objective accessibility and walking decisions particularly for activities like restaurants and entertainment. Moreover, the alignment between perceived and objective accessibility varies by activity type, with stronger correlations observed in high-accessibility contexts. These findings underscore the importance of integrating subjective perceptions with objective measures when designing interventions aimed at promoting active transportation, such as walking. By addressing psychological and experiential dimensions of accessibility alongside conventional spatial metrics, this study provides valuable guidance for urban planners and policymakers to enhance sustainable transportation systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Orrego-Oñate, Jaime & Marquet, Oriol, 2025. "The role of perceived and objective accessibility in shaping walking behavior: Insights from mid-sized Spanish cities," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:192:y:2025:i:c:s0965856424003884
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2024.104340
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856424003884
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tra.2024.104340?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    --->

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cheng, Jianquan & Bertolini, Luca, 2013. "Measuring urban job accessibility with distance decay, competition and diversity," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 100-109.
    2. Petter Næss & Harpa Stefansdottir & Sebastian Peters & Michał Czepkiewicz & Jukka Heinonen, 2021. "Residential Location and Travel in the Reykjavik Capital Region," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-31, June.
    3. Nordfjærn, Trond & Lind, Hans Brende & Şimşekoğlu, Özlem & Jørgensen, Stig Halvard & Lund, Ingunn Olea & Rundmo, Torbjørn, 2019. "The role of social cognition in perceived thresholds for transport mode change," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 88-96.
    4. Liang Ma & Jason Cao, 2019. "How perceptions mediate the effects of the built environment on travel behavior?," Transportation, Springer, vol. 46(1), pages 175-197, February.
    5. Ajzen, Icek, 1991. "The theory of planned behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 179-211, December.
    6. Poorthuis, Ate & Zook, Matthew, 2023. "Moving the 15-minute city beyond the urban core: The role of accessibility and public transport in the Netherlands," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    7. Singer, Matan E. & Cohen-Zada, Aviv L. & Martens, Karel, 2022. "Core versus periphery: Examining the spatial patterns of insufficient accessibility in U.S. metropolitan areas," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    8. Hugh Barton & Michael Horswell & Paul Millar, 2012. "Neighbourhood Accessibility and Active Travel," Planning Practice & Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(2), pages 177-201.
    9. Ryan, Jean & Martens, Karel, 2023. "Defining and implementing a sufficient level of accessibility: What’s stopping us?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    10. Lättman, Katrin & Olsson, Lars E. & Friman, Margareta, 2018. "A new approach to accessibility – Examining perceived accessibility in contrast to objectively measured accessibility in daily travel," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 501-511.
    11. Deboosere, Robbin & El-Geneidy, Ahmed M. & Levinson, David, 2018. "Accessibility-oriented development," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 11-20.
    12. Elmira Jamei & Melissa Chan & Hing Wah Chau & Eric Gaisie & Katrin Lättman, 2022. "Perceived Accessibility and Key Influencing Factors in Transportation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-22, August.
    13. Lynn, Peter & Martin, Jean & Beerten, Roeland & Laiho, Johanna, 2001. "Recommended standard final outcome categories and standard definitions of response rate for social surveys," ISER Working Paper Series 2001-23, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    14. repec:osf:socarx:ap7wh_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Haustein, Sonja & Nielsen, Thomas A. Sick, 2016. "European mobility cultures: A survey-based cluster analysis across 28 European countries," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 173-180.
    16. Barabas, Jason & Jerit, Jennifer, 2010. "Are Survey Experiments Externally Valid?," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 104(2), pages 226-242, May.
    17. Jonas De Vos & Katrin Lättman & Anna-Lena van der Vlugt & Janina Welsch & Noriko Otsuka, 2023. "Determinants and effects of perceived walkability: a literature review, conceptual model and research agenda," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(2), pages 303-324, March.
    18. Poorthuis, Ate & Zook, Matthew, 2023. "Moving the 15-minute city beyond the urban core: the role of accessibility and public transport in The Netherlands," OSF Preprints 4adfq, Center for Open Science.
    19. repec:osf:osfxxx:dk2mb_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Eric T. H. Chan & Tim Schwanen & David Banister, 2021. "The role of perceived environment, neighbourhood characteristics, and attitudes in walking behaviour: evidence from a rapidly developing city in China," Transportation, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 431-454, February.
    21. repec:osf:osfxxx:4adfq_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    22. Mengying Cui & David Levinson, 2020. "Multi-Activity Access: How Activity Choice Affects Opportunity," Working Papers 2022-01, University of Minnesota: Nexus Research Group.
    23. Pot, Felix Johan & van Wee, Bert & Tillema, Taede, 2021. "Perceived accessibility: What it is and why it differs from calculated accessibility measures based on spatial data," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    24. Blandin, Lola & Vecchio, Giovanni & Hurtubia, Ricardo & Aitken, Ignacio Tiznado, 2023. "Car dependency in the urban margins: the influence of perceived accessibility on mode choice," OSF Preprints dk2mb, Center for Open Science.
    25. Willberg, Elias & Fink, Christoph & Toivonen, Tuuli, 2023. "The 15-minute city for all? – Measuring individual and temporal variations in walking accessibility," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    26. Allen, Jeff & Farber, Steven, 2020. "Planning transport for social inclusion: An accessibility-activity participation approach," SocArXiv ap7wh, Center for Open Science.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nguyen-Phuoc, Duy Quy & Pham, Son Truong & Nguyen, Thao Phuong Thi & Su, Diep Ngoc & Luu, Tuan Trong & Oviedo-Trespalacios, Oscar, 2025. "Exploring the switch to urban train services: The impact of perceived accessibility and its moderating effects," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    2. Felix Johan Pot & Eva Heinen & Taede Tillema, 2025. "Sufficient access? Activity participation, perceived accessibility and transport-related social exclusion across spatial contexts," Transportation, Springer, vol. 52(4), pages 1679-1707, August.
    3. Matan E. Singer & Aviv L. Cohen-Zada & Karel Martens, 2024. "Examining the performance of transit systems in large US metropolitan areas," Transportation, Springer, vol. 51(3), pages 1125-1147, June.
    4. Roper, Josephine & Ng, Matthew & Huck, Jonathan & Pettit, Christopher, 2024. "A participatory mapping approach to capturing perceived walkability," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    5. Najmeh Mozaffaree Pour & Jenni Partanen, 2024. "Planning for the urban future: two-level spatial analysis to discover 15-Minute City potential in urban area and expansion in Tallinn, Estonia," Journal of Computational Social Science, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 777-807, April.
    6. De Vos, Jonas, 2024. "The ease of travel: A person-based measure of people’s ability to travel," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    7. Blandin, Lola & Vecchio, Giovanni & Hurtubia, Ricardo & Tiznado-Aitken, Ignacio, 2024. "Car dependency in the urban margins: The influence of perceived accessibility on mode choice," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    8. Moleman, Milan L. & Kroesen, Maarten, 2025. "Exploring the interplay of transport, social, and geographical disadvantages and its effect on perceived inaccessibility," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    9. Negm, Hisham & El-Geneidy, Ahmed, 2025. "Subjectivity matters: Investigating the relationship between perceived accessibility and travel behaviour," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    10. Mehdizadeh, Milad & Kroesen, Maarten, 2025. "Does perceived accessibility affect travel behavior or vice versa? Alternative theories testing bidirectional effects and (in)consistency over time," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    11. Vafeiadis, Evangelos & Elldér, Erik, 2024. "Correlates of perceived accessibility across transport modes and trip purposes: Insights from a Swedish survey," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    12. Javanmard, Reyhane & Lee, Jinhyung & Kim, Kyusik & Park, Jinwoo & Diab, Ehab, 2024. "Evaluating the impacts of supply-demand dynamics and distance decay effects on public transit project assessment: A study of healthcare accessibility and inequalities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    13. Zha, Wenbin & Li, Jian, 2025. "Understanding commuters' perceived accessibility and travel intentions under rainstorm warnings in Shanghai, China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 276-294.
    14. Abouelela, Mohamed & Durán-Rodas, David & Antoniou, Constantinos, 2024. "Do we all need shared E-scooters? An accessibility-centered spatial equity evaluation approach," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    15. Henrikki Tenkanen & Rafael H. M. Pereira & Elsa Arcaute & Marta C. Gonzalez, 2023. "Advances in geospatial approaches to transport networks and sustainable mobility," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 50(8), pages 2009-2016, October.
    16. Yoo, Sihyun & Beumer, Ruben & van Wee, Bert & Mouter, Niek & Molin, Eric, 2025. "Perceived accessibility by air transportation: A focus group study of potential air travelers in The Netherlands," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    17. Acheampong, Ransford A. & Asabere, Stephen Boahen, 2022. "Urban expansion and differential accessibility by car and public transport in the Greater Kumasi city-region, Ghana—A geospatial modelling approach," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    18. Fitwi Wolday & Lars Böcker, 2023. "Exploring changes in residential preference during COVID-19: Implications to contemporary urban planning," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 50(5), pages 1280-1297, June.
    19. Li, Wu & Guan, Haotian & Qin, Wenwen & Ji, Xiaofeng, 2023. "Collective and individual spatial equity measure in public transit accessibility based on generalized travel cost," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    20. Sun, Bindong & Liu, Jiahang & Yin, Chun & Cao, Jason, 2022. "Residential and workplace neighborhood environments and life satisfaction: Exploring chain-mediation effects of activity and place satisfaction," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:192:y:2025:i:c:s0965856424003884. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/547/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.