Urban Runnability: Reconsidering the active city concept from a non-transportation perspective
Author
Grønli, Rebecka Skipper
Term
4. Term
Publication year
2024
Submitted on
2024-01-05
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger den aktive by fra et ikke-transportperspektiv ved at bruge løb som case for fritids- og rekreativ mobilitet. Udgangspunktet er, at byplanlægning historisk har overset hverdagsbevægelse, og at diskursen om aktive byer primært har fokuseret på mobilitet som transport, hvilket efterlader et forskningsgab omkring fysisk aktivitet for restitution, sundhed og fornøjelse. Studiet kortlægger, hvilke bymiljøer der fremmer eller hæmmer løb og hvordan disse påvirker løbeoplevelsen, for at informere design af byer, der bedre understøtter fysisk aktivitet. En casestudie af Aalborg, Danmark, kombinerer litteraturstudie, dybdegående interviews med løbere om kropslige og sanselige erfaringer, GIS-analyse af rumlige forhold og autoetnografisk feltarbejde. Casen peger på centrale kendetegn for løbebarhed, herunder sammenhængende grønne områder, sikre og kontinuerlige stisystemer samt rekreative og restorative byrum, som samtidig kan gavne gang og andre bløde mobiliteter og støtte op om SDG 3 og 11. Specialet afslutter med et forslag til planlægningsprincipper, der kan revidere byplanlægning ud fra et løbefokus og åbner for en bredere debat om den aktive by ud over transport.
This thesis examines the active city from a non-transportation perspective by using running as a case of leisure and recreational mobility. It starts from the observation that urban planning has long overlooked everyday movement and that the active city discourse has been dominated by transport-oriented mobility, leaving a research gap around physical activity for restoration, health, and enjoyment. The study explores which urban environments enable or hinder running and how they shape the running experience, with the aim of informing city design that better supports physical activity. A case study of Aalborg, Denmark, combines a literature review, in-depth interviews with runners about embodied and sensory experiences, GIS analysis of spatial conditions, and autoethnographic fieldwork. The case points to key attributes of runnable environments—connected green spaces, safe and continuous path networks, and recreational and restorative urban spaces—which can also benefit walking and other soft mobilities and advance SDG 3 and 11. The thesis concludes with proposed planning principles to revise urban planning from a runnability perspective and opens a broader discussion of the active city beyond transport.
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