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对步行性研究的政策影响，特别是开发真正的步行性网络，该网络最初是作为PARC项目的一部分，基于东贝尔法斯特的一个研究区域。该项目旨在将已开发的政策工具的适用性扩展到北爱尔兰的两个主要城市——贝尔法斯特和德里，从而使该模型覆盖该地区37%的人口和一些最贫困的社区。该项目将向从业人员推广这一模式的使用，以增加旨在促进体育活动的建筑环境干预措施的证据基础。它将为学术界和研究的最终用户提供一系列的好处。对于学术界来说，它将对正在进行的研究做出重要贡献，以理解体育活动与环境的相关性，并通过与从业者社区的接触，旨在创造一个研究、实施和反馈的良性循环。对于最终用户，它将在建立一个有用的决策工具方面带来好处，该工具将加强改善身体活动的环境干预措施的证据基础，并将在其使用方面提供培训和能力建设，目的是为其正在进行的部署建立可持续性。项目的价值体现在许多愿意成为合作伙伴的公共机构上，包括贝尔法斯特和德里市议会、区域发展部、卫生社会服务和公共安全部、公共卫生局和贝尔法斯特健康城市，以及英格兰的一些城市，它们提供了相称的资金和超过88 000英镑的实物支持。该项目将运行12个月，并雇用两名研究助理来帮助进行三个独立的工作包：工作包1：模型巩固和验证。（1-5个月）该工作包将包括任命、培训和安置两名分别位于贝尔法斯特和德里市议会的研究助理，在此期间，他们将巩固和扩展为东贝尔法斯特开发的模型，使其具有整个两个地方当局区域的业务覆盖。该模型将通过随机检查关键要素（如土地用途和行人路覆盖范围）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进行互动，以开始了解空间数据的范围、形式和可用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方面的区域战略的潜在联系。工作包2：项目整合和可持续性（6-10个月）。工作包2将涉及将可步行性模型和其他空间分析元素整合到合作组织现有的与体育活动相关的计划中，以提高其有效性、效率和准确性。项目的这一阶段还将涉及发展项目合作伙伴的能力，以确保特定地点的步行模式的可持续性。工作包3：与更广泛的从业者群体进行知识传播和参与（11-12个月）工作包3将包括评估和报告可步行性模型的运营部署及其与其他中央和地方政府责任和倡议的整合所产生的效益、成本和机会。在这一评价的基础上，将在北爱尔兰和联合王国举办一系列讲习班。最后，该项目的研究结果将在三次会议上提出，以向不同的学术和从业者社区传播研究结果。

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.