Abstracts Geography

Perceptions of Walking for Transportation in Small-Towns: A study of Hutchinson, Minnesota

by Josie C. Myers

This research investigates walking as a form of transportation in small towns, by working to identify perceived barriers and facilitators of walking. The two main objectives of this project are to recognize and acknowledge perceived barriers to walkability in small towns and to better understand how community perceptions of walking can help to shape more walkable small towns. Quite a bit of research has been published on walkability in urban areas, but very little published research exists on utilitarian walking in rural areas and small towns. Many small towns do have the basic infrastructure to support walking, but the human element in making the decision to walk or drive often sides with the norms of the community and it is important to understand that no two people will have the same experiences walking and those individual choices to walk or not differ greatly based on a wide range of forces and factors. This research uses a mixed-methods exploratory design, with a quantitative online survey informing one-on-one qualitative interviews and sketch mapping to learn about perceptions of walking in Hutchinson, Minnesota. This research found that barriers to walking include personal and public perceptions, safety concerns, and the convenience of driving as opposed to walking.