The ambivalence of independent mobility: Balancing perceived risks and expected benefits of walking to school in inner-city neighborhoods

Drawing on two Southern California neighborhoods, this paper assesses children's perceptions of the risks of walking to school in urban and low-income communities of color, balanced against the expected benefits of child independent mobility. Quantitatively-estimated relationships between children's travel modes and environmental observations show that those who walk to school – especially those who walk alone – exhibit heightened environmental perceptions at granular levels. They identify more negative aspects of the built environment (both social and physical) than those who are driven, suggesting they feel more vulnerable along their school routes. They also make more observations of the built environment in aggregate, suggesting that walking – an interactive mode of travel – confers greater spatial awareness. To maximize the psychological, cognitive, and social well-being benefits that child pedestrians can accrue from their experiences in inner-city settings, measures mitigating neighborhood risks are a necessary complement to existing traffic safety-oriented policies.