title: Are we developing walkable suburbs through urban planning policy? Identifying the mix of design requirements to optimise walking outcomes from the 'Liveable Neighbourhoods' planning policy in Perth, Western Australia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Planning policy makers and practitioners are requesting clearer guidance on the 'essential' ingredients as assessed by public health researchers to ensure suburban neighbourhood environments are designed to promote active living behaviours such as walking.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify the combination of design requirements from the 'Liveable Neighbourhoods' (LN) planning policy in Perth, Western Australia that were optimally supportive of walking.
  
  
  METHODS
  K-means cluster analysis identified groups of developments with homogeneous LN features from its community design (CD), movement network (MN), lot layout (LL) and public parkland (PP) elements. Walking behaviours measured using the Neighbourhood Physical Activity Questionnaire were compared between participants resident in the different clusters, adjusting for demographic characteristics, self-selection factors, stage of construction and scale of development.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with participants living in the referent cluster of 'poor CD and PP developments' those living in: 'MN and LL developments' had higher odds of doing any (OR = 1.74; 95 % CI = 1.22, 2.48) and ≥60 min walking for recreation (WR) (OR = 2.05; 1.46, 2.88); 'PP developments' had increased odds of doing any WR (OR = 3.53; 2.02, 6.17), ≥60 min WR (OR = 3.37; 1.98, 5.74) and any total walking (TW) (OR = 2.35; 1.36, 4.09); 'CD-MN developments' had increased odds of doing any walking for transport (WT) (OR = 2.64; 1.38, 5.06), ≥60 min WT (OR = 1.98; 1.09, 3.61), any TW (OR = 1.71; 1.44, 2.03), ≥60 min TW (OR = 1.77; 1.14, 2.76) and ≥150 min TW (OR = 1.47; 1.15, 1.86).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study is the first to have empirically identified a mix of specific and distinguishing planning policy neighbourhood design requirements to optimise walking outcomes. These findings will assist in the assessment of urban plans for greenfield suburban developments designed to promote walking and physical activity.
authors.affiliation: Centre for the Built Environment and Health, School of Earth and Environment and School of Sports Science, Exercise and Health, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia. paula.hooper@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hooper
authors.affiliation: School of Population Health, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia. matthew.knuiman@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Knuiman
authors.affiliation: Centre for the Built Environment and Health, School of Earth and Environment and School of Sports Science, Exercise and Health, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia. fiona.bull@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bull
authors.affiliation: , Acuitus, Level 1, 322 Hay Street, Subiaco, Perth, WA, 6008, Australia. evan.jones@acuitus.com.au.
authors.forename: Evan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: McCaughey VicHealth Centre for Community Wellbeing, Melbourne School of Population Health, University of Melbourne Australia, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. b.giles-corti@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Billie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Giles-Corti
mesh_terms: D004779:Environment Design; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D018881:Suburban Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014186:Transportation / Q000379:methods; D016138:Walking; D014904:Western Australia