Resumen de Exploring physical activity and harassment in urban cycling through a geolocalised approach
The main objective of this dissertation is to explore urban cycling use and some factors that influence it as a means of transport, specifically in a sample of residents in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Seville. In particular, the aim is to examine built urban environment impact on urban cycling benefits, including perceived health and physical activity levels, and harassment risk during active trips. This dissertation consists of four studies. The first study exhaustively examines the scientific literature available in the Scopus database on cycling in urban environments applying text mining technics. Among the main results it can be found the growing interest in cycling among the scientific literature. In addition, the topics most researched by the scientific community include smart urban mobility, bike sharing systems, infrastructure and cycling behaviour. In the second study, to find out the population's perception and opinion on the urban cycling, this same data analysis technique was applied to X social network posts containing the keywords bicycle and city (or similar), or their associated emojis. One of the most relevant results was a generally positive public sentiment towards its use. In addition, among the most commented topics were safety and the importance of segregated lanes. The third study quantifies cycling as a mode of transport using socio-demographic, health and physical activity variables, as well as the amenities present in the built environment around the place of residence for cycling, public transport and car use. The results of this study show that factors such as age, physical activity levels and the presence of cycling infrastructure are crucial for increasing use. Another notable finding is that women showed a lower prevalence of cycling compared to men. These results reveal unequal patterns of use in the participating sample according to gender. Specifically, among the scientific literature, street harassment is one of the main barriers limiting women's cycling. Therefore, these results served as a pretext to establish the objective of the fourth study: to examine the experiences of harassment during active commuting from a geolocalised perspective. Women participants in this study reported more incidents of harassment compared to men, especially during the winter months and at night. In addition, features of the built environment at risk of harassment were identified such as pedestrian areas, intersections, fountains, parks, areas near planters and outdoor areas for sporting activities. In summary, this dissertation provides valuable insights that can help policy makers and urban planners in urban space planning, specifically in the context of cycling as a means of transport. Moreover, it proposes a new methodological perspective in which human behaviour, in this case cycling, is analysed from an integrated approach along with geolocations. Thus, when designing and structuring urban spaces for cycling, it considers the people who use them, their characteristics and needs in these specific spaces, making them healthy, equitable and safe.
