Universal Design for the rural walks of life: operationalizing walkability in Bonnyville, Alberta, Canada

Many Canadians have low levels of physical activity, including walking. One public health response is to improve opportunities for walking, or walkability, by changing community built environments. While urban walkability research is expanding, it does not readily apply to smaller, rural communities, leaving a significant knowledge gap. This participatory research project operationalized rural walkability using Universal Design principles to promote walking in a vibrant rural community. A literature review examining rural walkability supplemented local data from a related study. Simultaneously, local partners were engaged to operationalize walkability and iteratively develop a walking map responsive to community priorities of inclusivity and community engagement. The walkability literature was severely limited in evidence and theory for rural settings; conventional urban walkability constructs did not fit the geography, degree of rural-ness, nor primary purposes of walking by residents. This challenged the cogency of current rationales for walkability as a socio-structural response to the obesity epidemic, which may undervalue the individual benefits and public good inherent to walking and equitable supports for walkability. The Bonnyville Community Walking Map was developed using Universal Design principles, providing a tool for all residents, including seniors and others with limited mobility. Consideration of Universal Design can enhance equity and transferability of walkability research across settings, and prompt reconsideration of walkability as access to pedestrian spaces for embodied and vulnerable pedestrians. This research is among the earliest in Canada to investigate theoretical and empirical bases for operationalizing walkability in rural settings in broader efforts to foster health-promoting community environments.