title: Evaluation of the implementation of a state government community design policy aimed at increasing local walking: design issues and baseline results from RESIDE, Perth Western Australia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the design and baseline results of an evaluation of the Western Australian government's pedestrian-friendly subdivision design code (Liveable Neighborhood (LN) Guidelines).
  
  
  METHODS
  Baseline results (2003-2005) from a longitudinal study of people (n=1813) moving into new housing developments: 18 Liveable, 11 Hybrid and 45 Conventional (i.e., LDs, HDs and CDs respectively) are presented including usual recreational and transport-related walking undertaken within and outside the neighborhood, and 7-day pedometer steps.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At baseline, more participants walked for recreation and transport within the neighborhood (52.6%; 36.1% respectively), than outside the neighborhood (17.7%; 13.2% respectively). Notably, only 20% of average total duration of walking (128.4 min/week (SD159.8)) was transport related and within the neighborhood. There were few differences between the groups' demographic, psychosocial and perceived neighborhood environmental characteristics, pedometer steps, or the type, amount and location of self-reported walking (p>0.05). However, asked what factors influenced their choice of housing development, more participants moving into LDs reported aspects of their new neighborhood's walkability as important (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The baseline results underscore the desirability of incorporating behavior and context-specific measures and value of longitudinal designs to enable changes in behavior, attitudes, and urban form to be monitored, while adjusting for baseline residential location preferences.
authors: School of Population Health, UWA, Crawley, Western Australia. Billie.Giles-Corti@uwa.edu.au
authors: Billie
authors: B
authors: Giles-Corti
authors: Matthew
authors: M
authors: Knuiman
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Timperio
authors: Kimberly
authors: K
authors: Van Niel
authors: Terri J
authors: TJ
authors: Pikora
authors: Fiona C L
authors: FC
authors: Bull
authors: Trevor
authors: T
authors: Shilton
authors: Max
authors: M
authors: Bulsara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002958:City Planning; D005260:Female; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011050:Policy Making; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013219:State Government; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016138:Walking; D014904:Western Australia