Active transportation (AT) has aroused great interest in recent years as it may benefit public health and reduce the dependency on cars. This article aims to summarize recent findings on the relationship between the objectively measured built environment and AT among adults, to examine if different study designs may generate different results, and to provide directions for future research. A systematic literature review of journal articles from different databases was conducted. Fifty-one articles published between 2005 and 2017 were identified, and twelve built environment factors were extracted. The results showed that residential density, land use mix, street connectivity, retail land use, walkability, sidewalk, and access to destinations had a convincing positive relationship with walking for transport. Regarding cycling for transport, while street connectivity and bike lane showed a convincing positive relationship, neighborhood aesthetics and access to destinations showed a convincing negative relationship. Studies that use different analyzed geographic units and different measurements of AT may generate different results, so choosing suitable geographic units and measurement of AT is necessary to reduce the mismatch in the relationships. In addition, we need more longitudinal studies, more studies on cycling for transport, and more studies in countries outside North America and Australasia.

Cycling is gaining increasing attention as a convenient, environmentally friendly, and fitness-improving mode of transport. While many policy interventions have been made to promote cycling, not enough research has focused on the barriers to implementing pro-cycling policies. For effective policy implementation, identifying major barriers and removing them is critical. This study took an in-depth look at Hamburg which started a major cycling promotion in 2008. According to expert interviews and literature surveys, the author found that the major barriers are physical, political and institutional, and social and cultural. Specifically, the city lacks enough physical space, political support, and the evaluation of travel behavior and demand. Also, some private stakeholders are reluctant to give up on-street car parking space for cycling lanes, and the negotiation process is difficult and time-consuming. To overcome these barriers, Hamburg requires cycling-oriented urban design, a strategic and integrated cycling action plan, strong political support, and target group-oriented communication.

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In the context of the implementation of rural revitalization strategies in China, limited attention has been paid to the landscape patterns of traditional villages that are located in vulnerable environments. This study explores the land-use dynamics and landscape patterns of traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture, China. Based on a spatiotemporal analysis of land use and landscape metrics, we analyzed the prefecture and the environment surrounding 73 traditional villages. The results show that, from 2000 to 2020, most villages have had an increased share of forest, a decreased share of cultivated land and grassland, and a decreased level of landscape diversity and fragmentation. Additionally, villages at a higher elevation or with a steeper slope are associated with a lower level of landscape diversity, a lower proportion of cultivated land and grassland, and a higher proportion of forest. Overall, although the environment around the villages does not show dramatic changes in landscape patterns, land-use change at the prefecture level shows an increasing rate of urban growth from 2010 to 2020. For remote traditional villages in ecologically vulnerable and less-developed areas, caution is needed in the tradeoff between environmental conservation and economic development.