KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE, SPATIAL ANALYSIS AND HEALTHY URBAN ENVIRONMENTS: INTEGRATING WALKABILITY MODELS INTO PRACTICE

该项目旨在最大限度地发挥已经开展的步行研究的政策影响，特别是开发真正的步行网络，该网络最初是作为以东贝尔法斯特研究区域为基础的帕洛阿尔托气候变化研究中心项目的一部分而产生的。该项目旨在扩大已开发的政策工具的适用范围，以涵盖北爱尔兰的两个主要城市贝尔法斯特和德里，从而使该模式涵盖该区域37%的人口和一些最贫困的社区。该项目将向从业人员传播这一模式的使用，以增加旨在促进体力活动的建筑环境干预的证据基础。它将为学术界和研究的最终用户提供一系列好处。对于学者来说，它将为正在进行的了解体力活动与环境相关的研究做出重要贡献，并通过与从业者社区的接触，旨在创造研究、实施和反馈的良性循环。对于最终用户来说，它将在建立一个有用的决策工具方面带来好处，该工具将加强改善体力活动的环境干预的证据基础，并将提供使用它的培训和能力建设，目的是为正在进行的部署建立可持续性。该项目的价值体现在愿意成为合作伙伴的许多公共机构，包括贝尔法斯特和德里市议会、地区发展局、卫生社会服务和公共安全部、公共卫生机构和贝尔法斯特健康城市，以及英国各城市，它们提供了超过88 000 GB的匹配资金和实物支持。该项目将运行12个月，雇用两名研究助理，以帮助开展三个独立的工作包：工作包1：模型合并和验证。(1-5个月)这一一揽子工作将涉及任命、培训和安置分别设在贝尔法斯特和德里市议会的2名研究助理，在此期间，他们将巩固和推广为东贝尔法斯特开发的模式，使其业务覆盖全部两个地方当局地区。该模型将通过对土地使用和人行道覆盖等关键要素的随机抽查进行验证。在此期间，研究助理将与地方当局和其他法定机构的工作人员互动，以开始了解空间数据的范围、形式和可获得性以及不同合作伙伴的信息需求，包括与肥胖、积极旅行和体育活动的区域战略的潜在联系。工作包2：项目一体化和可持续性(6-10个月)。工作包2将涉及将可步行模型和空间分析的其他要素纳入伙伴组织现有的与体力活动有关的方案，以提高其效力、效率和准确性。该项目的这一阶段还将涉及发展项目伙伴的能力，以确保特定地点可步行模型的可持续性。工作包3：知识传播和与更广泛的从业者社区的接触(11-12个月)工作包3将涉及对可步行模型的业务部署及其与其他中央和地方政府责任和倡议的结合所产生的收益、成本和机会的评价和报告。在这项评价的基础上，将在北爱尔兰和英国举办一系列讲习班。最后，该项目的结果将在三个会议上公布，以向不同的学术界和实践者传播这些结果。

This project aims to maximise the policy impact of research already undertaken on walkability, particularly the development of a Real Walkability Network, which has initially been generated as part of the PARC project based on a study area of East Belfast. This project aims to extend the applicability of the developed policy tools to cover the two main cities of Northern Ireland, Belfast and Derry, so that the model then covers 37% of the population and some of the most deprived communities in the region. The project will disseminate the use of this model to practitioners in order to increase the evidence base for interventions in the built environment aimed at promoting physical activity. It will provide a range of benefits for both the academic community and the end users of research. For academics, it will make important contributions to ongoing research on understanding the environmental correlates of physical activity and through engagement with practitioner communities will aim to create a virtuous circle of research, implementation and feedback. For end users it will provide benefits in terms of the establishment of a useful decision-making tool that will enhance the evidence base for environmental interventions for improving physical activity and will provide training and capacity building in its use with the aim of establishing sustainability for its ongoing deployment. The value of the project is reflected in the large number of public bodies that have been willing to become partners, including Belfast and Derry City Councils, Department of Regional Development, Dept of Health Social Services and Public Safety, Public Health Agency and Belfast Healthy Cities, as well as cities in England, who have provided match funding and in kind support of over £88,000. The project will run for 12 months and employ two research assistants to help undertake three separate work packages:Work Package 1: Model consolidation and validation. (Months 1-5)This work package will involve the appointment, training and placement of 2 research assistants to be based in Belfast and Derry City Councils respectively, during which time they will consolidate and extend the model developed for East Belfast so that it has operational coverage of the entire 2 local authority areas. The model will be subject to validation using random checking of critical elements, such as land use and footpath coverage. During this time the research assistants will interact with staff of local authorities and other statutory agencies to begin to build up an understanding of the extent, form and availability of spatial data and the information needs of different partners, including potential links to regional strategies on obesity, active travel and physical activity. Work Package 2: Project integration and sustainability (Months 6-10).Work package 2 will involve a process of integrating the walkability models and other elements of spatial analysis into the existing physical activity-related programmes of the partner organisations to improve their effectiveness, efficiency and accuracy. This stage of the project will also involve developing the capacity of project partners to ensure the sustainability of the place-specific walkability models. Work Package 3: Knowledge dissemination and engagement with wider practitioner communities (Months 11-12) Work Package 3 will involve an evaluation and a report of the benefits, costs and opportunities arising from the operational deployment of walkability models and their integration with other central and local government responsibilities and initiatives. On the basis of this evaluation, a series of workshops will be run in Northern Ireland and the UK. Finally, the findings of the project will be presented at three conferences to disseminate the findings to different academic and practitioner communities.