Abstract

As a crucial factor of health, physical activity is widely explored in many empirical studies. The problem of how the built environment may affect physical activity attributes was discussed in previous studies, and the classification of interventions was presented in a limited scope. Therefore, the present study aims to review built environment interventions while classifying them into motivators and barriers of physical activity in residential neighbourhoods worldwide. Firstly, the main dimensions explaining how the built environment affects physical activity are presented. Fifteen papers published between 2009 and 2019 were identified by an extensive search in ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed. These works were systematically reviewed based on their main characteristics and then classified based on their relevant operationalisation of variables. Improving motivators and conquering barriers of physical activity on neighbourhoods lead to a healthy and sustainable society. The results of the current work can help policymakers and urban planners use exclusive methods for each part of neighbourhood planning and create an environment that overcomes barriers and promotes public physical activity levels.

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