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Keep the children walking: active school travel in Tirana, Albania

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  • Pojani, Dorina
  • Boussauw, Kobe

Abstract

This paper examines how characteristics of the physical and socio-economic environment influence children’s school travel mode in Tirana, the capital of Albania. A survey of students aged 11 to 13, revealed that an overwhelming majority walk to school, while bicycling and bus use are minimal. Students who walk to school often do so as part of a larger group of schoolmates, attend schools that are located relatively near their house, are faced with relatively few major road crossings during their journey, and belong to families that are less likely to own a car. Children who are driven to school (only 13.5% of our sample) usually have higher-income families and live farther from the school. Although Tirana’s high residential density has some environmental drawbacks, we deem it positive in that its result is that most students live very close to their schools and in close proximity to classmates walking to school. The fine grain pattern of the urban public school network contributes to the short distances between schools and homes. We provide a number of recommendations for the promotion of walking in home-school trips, as well as for the future physical development of the city and the school network.

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  • Pojani, Dorina & Boussauw, Kobe, 2014. "Keep the children walking: active school travel in Tirana, Albania," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 55-65.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:38:y:2014:i:c:p:55-65
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2014.05.012
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Leung, Kevin Y.K. & Astroza, Sebastian & Loo, Becky P.Y. & Bhat, Chandra R., 2019. "An environment-people interactions framework for analysing children's extra-curricular activities and active transport," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 341-358.
    4. McLaren, Arlene Tigar, 2016. "Families and transportation: Moving towards multimodality and altermobility?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 218-225.
    5. Saad AlQuhtani, 2023. "Factors Affecting Active Commuting to School in Sprawled Cities: The Case of Najran City, Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-17, June.
    6. Rong, Peijun & Kwan, Mei-Po & Qin, Yaochen & Zheng, Zhicheng, 2022. "A review of research on low-carbon school trips and their implications for human-environment relationship," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    7. Stark, Juliane & Frühwirth, Julia & Aschauer, Florian, 2018. "Exploring independent and active mobility in primary school children in Vienna," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 31-41.
    8. Dorji Wangzom & Marcus White & Jeni Paay, 2023. "Perceived Safety Influencing Active Travel to School—A Built Environment Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-12, January.
    9. Bilin Han & Jinhee Kim & Harry Timmermans, 2020. "Turn taking behavior in dual earner households with children: a focus on escorting routines," Transportation, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 203-222, February.
    10. Dimitris Potoglou & Botakoz Arslangulova, 2017. "Factors influencing active travel to primary and secondary schools in Wales," Transportation Planning and Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(1), pages 80-99, January.
    11. Thamires Ferreira Schubert & Elisa Henning & Simone Becker Lopes, 2020. "Analysis of the Possibility of Transport Mode Switch: A Case Study for Joinville Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-20, June.
    12. Dias, Charitha & Abdullah, Muhammad & Lovreglio, Ruggiero & Sachchithanantham, Sumana & Rekatheeban, Markkandu & Sathyaprasad, I.M.S., 2022. "Exploring home-to-school trip mode choices in Kandy, Sri Lanka," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    13. Khaled J. Assi & Md Shafiullah & Kh Md Nahiduzzaman & Umer Mansoor, 2019. "Travel-To-School Mode Choice Modelling Employing Artificial Intelligence Techniques: A Comparative Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-12, August.
    14. Nikitas, Alexandros & Wang, Judith Y.T. & Knamiller, Cathy, 2019. "Exploring parental perceptions about school travel and walking school buses: A thematic analysis approach," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 468-487.
    15. Müller, Sven & Mejia-Dorantes, Lucia & Kersten, Elisa, 2020. "Analysis of active school transportation in hilly urban environments: A case study of Dresden," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    16. Nguyen, Minh Hieu & Pojani, Dorina & Nguyen, Thanh Chuong & Ha, Thanh Tung, 2021. "The impact of Covid-19 on children's active travel to school in Vietnam," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).

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