Independent Mobility and Active Travel in Urban Environments

Independent mobility and active travel comprise the capacity of individuals—particularly children and adolescents—to navigate urban spaces without adult accompaniment, using physically active modes such as walking, cycling or scooting. This concept sits at the intersection of public health, urban design and transport policy, recognising that freedom of movement fosters physical activity, social interaction and cognitive development. In many cities, rising traffic volumes, safety concerns and car-oriented planning have curtailed opportunities for unsupervised travel, contributing to sedentary lifestyles and social isolation. Countervailing trends in micro-mobility, shared mobility services and low-speed autonomous shuttles offer new pathways to restore independent movement. Equally, interventions in the built environment—ranging from traffic calming to the design of child-friendly public spaces—have demonstrated the potential to promote sustainable, active modes of travel. A systemic approach unites technological innovation, parental attitudes, community cohesion and land-use planning to reimagine urban mobility as inclusive, healthy and environmentally responsible.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Independent Mobility and Active Travel in Urban Environments publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in independent mobility and active travel in urban environments across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Independent mobility: The ability of individuals, especially children, to travel within their community without adult supervision, encompassing permissions, competencies and environmental enablers.

Active travel: Modes of transport that rely on human physical effort—principally walking and cycling—contributing to daily physical activity and reducing reliance on motorised vehicles.

Built environment: The man-made surroundings in which people live and work, including infrastructure, land-use patterns and design features that influence mobility choices.

Affordance: In environmental psychology, a feature of the environment that offers an opportunity for action, distinguishing between physical affordances (direct facilitation of movement) and symbolic affordances (affective or cultural cues).

Autonomous vehicle: A self-driving transport system capable of operating without a human driver, often employed in pilot schemes to enhance safety and accessibility for non-driving users.

References

1. Autonomous shuttles contribution to independent mobility for children – a qualitative pilot study. Journal of Urban Mobility (2023).
2. Parents’ perspectives on transporting their children in autonomous vehicles – A contextual interview study with parents in Germany. Transportation Research Part F Traffic Psychology and Behaviour (2024).
3. Designing Urban Spaces to Enhance Active and Sustainable Mobility: An Analysis of Physical and Symbolic Affordances in School Squares in the Metropolitan Area of Milan, Italy. Sustainability (2023).