Promoting active aging in Brazil: A longitudinal study of land use mix and utilitarian walking in older adults

Despite walking being common among older adults, international evidence suggests its prevalence is lower compared to other age groups. Land use mix (LUM) is believed to encourage walking, but in the context of Brazilian and other Latin American cities, empirical evidence for this association for older age groups is lacking. Moreover, existing studies for this cohort usually employ a cross-sectional design, weakening the robustness of conclusions. This study addresses these gaps by investigating the impact of LUM on utilitarian walking in Brazil using a longitudinal approach with 566 older adults. Logistic regression analyses reveal significant positive associations between walking and two LUM measures (entropy and objective NEWS diversity), indicating that land use diversity plays a crucial role beyond local accessibility and non-residential availability, even within the context of Brazilian cities. Therefore, the attractiveness of walking for transportation among older adults can be amplified through a combination of diverse amenities, closer proximity to residential areas, and an equitable distribution of land uses coupled with more locally integrated street layouts that allow easy access to nearby surroundings. Practical steps include participatory local street design and development planning to enable grid intensification, avoidance of monofunctional zones and planning incentives for multifunctional developments.