Cities are vibrant, stimulating places but for many mid-aged and older adults, navigating them is not always straightforward. Several urban design characteristics may influence walking behaviour and the cognitive ability to navigate urban environments. Route complexity and the presence of certain urban design features may influence specific cognitive functions, such as spatial memory by stimulating the hippocampus to acquire place knowledge. In turn, cognitive abilities likely influence individuals’ spatial navigation. The complexity of cities may pose challenges to those experiencing cognitive decline due to ageing and emerging dementia. However, evidence on the moderating role of cognitive abilities in the association between environmental factors and walking behaviours is still lacking.
The present study aimed to explore the extent to which cognitive abilities (visuospatial working memory, selective attention, cognitive inhibition and cognitive flexibility) moderate the associations between characteristics of the urban environment and walking behaviours, including engagement in walking and the spatial complexity of walking trips. We analysed mobility behaviour in 324 adults aged ≥50 years living in Melbourne, Australia from the iMAP (international Mind, Activities and urban Places) project. Global Positioning System mobility and diary data over 7 days were used to quantify the complexity of the mobility patterns and exposure context of individuals (both the residential neighbourhood environment and other activity spaces). Participants’ cognitive abilities were assessed through cognitive tests before the mobility survey.
Our study suggests that individuals with low cognitive abilities are more influenced by environmental conditions, whether these conditions are favourable or not to walking. Residential environments with a wide range of services favoured engagement in walking at least 15 minutes per day in people with low cognitive flexibility. Urban obstacles, such as tall buildings, compound the challenges of individuals with low cognitive flexibility by decreasing the odds of walking at least 15 minutes per day. Disordered urban environments (with irregular street orientation) and conflicting information (highly connected, dense environments), led to the selection of more convoluted and less connected routes in people with low cognitive flexibility and low visual spatial ability. These results provide new insights into the interactions between urban environments and individual cognitive status on walking behaviours and suggest that cognitive abilities should be considered in policies promoting environmental condition that favour walking activities.