The impact of liveability on active (leisure) travel

Active mobility offers important health and environmental benefits, making the promotion of walking and cycling a key objective for urban and transport planners. While studies suggest a positive association between more liveable areas and higher active travel rates, establishing a causal relationship remains challenging due to potential endogeneity. This study addresses this issue by quantifying the impact of liveability on active leisure travel, using data from the Dutch National Travel Survey and a comprehensive measure of neighbourhood liveability. Recognising that active mobility is a viable substitute for motorised travel for shorter distances and less time-sensitive journeys, this study examines leisure-time travel mode choices for distances up to 20 km. We estimate a multilevel mixed effect probit model with endogenous liveability, accounting for the spatial interdependence of neighbourhood liveability. Our results – accounting for endogeneity and spatial autocorrelation - show that higher neighbourhood liveability significantly increases the likelihood of choosing active travel modes (by 10 percentage points between the least and most liveable neighbourhoods). We show that even modest improvements in neighbourhood liveability could meaningfully shift travel behaviour. These results emphasise the importance of creating more liveable environments to stimulate active (leisure) travel and indirectly promote healthy and sustainable lifestyles.