| dc.description.abstract | As urban populations continue to grow, dense urban environments have become characteristic of modern cities. City planners are increasingly seeking sustainable solutions to preserve livability. Policies promoting active modes of travel, such as walking and cycling, aim to foster an active lifestyle and reduce pollution. The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted reconsideration of travel behaviors, raising questions about commuting to work. Urban environments are associated with higher levels of stress and mental health issues compared to rural areas. The objective of this research was to describe and explain insights on walking commuting stress due to the urban environment, to cope with rising levels of urbanization, and a higher level of stress prevalence in this areas together with policies that promote an active way of commuting.
14 Participants (7 male and 7 female) were invited to join a walk-along research during the commute in the morning rush hour, evening rush hour, and during an off-peak moment in the afternoon. The participants could choose their routes freely and express their thoughts about their environmental experiences during their walks. All the walk-alongs were recorded with a GoPro Hero11 Black video camera.The study took place in the central area of The Hague, a highly dense urban area with around 11.000 people per square kilometer. Content analysis was performed using NVIVO 14 software. A blend of deductive and inductive reasoning was used to derive categories and new subcategories from the data.
The main findings of the research reveal various tensions that induced stress among the participants, particularly in shared space areas. These spatial tensions comprise a complex interplay between social and urban design factors. These factors were unclear desgin relating to illegible design, less space for the pedestrian and 'claiming behavior between users' relating to territoriality causing crowding. The combination of these factors exacerbated that stress experience. Vigilance was an important emotional expression that was often mentioned, which in the long run can contribute to stress and exhaustion. The coping mechanisms exhibited by the participants could be categorized into problem-focused coping, emotional-focused coping, and future-oriented coping. Natural environments, quiet places with less traffic, places with 'hustle-and-bustle' and a clear ubran design were mentioned as stress relieving factors.
Relatively little research on the effect of multiple stressors in urban environments and how they may interact has been done. The findings of this research are mostly in line with the literature and specifically add insights into how multiple stressors interact with each other, namely the interplay between an unclear design, less space, and the territorial behavior of users. Future studies could explore how environmental stressors interact with other stressors induced by work or home situations, particularly for vulnerable groups like highly sensitive individuals. Integrating quantitative surveys with biotechnical measurements could substantiate the findings of this research. | |
