A community case study of pedestrian environment features of neighborhood walkability and built environment-related 311 service requests surrounding public housing developments serving low-income Boston residents.

Physical activity is a modifiable health behavior influenced by neighborhood walkability. In-person field audits of pedestrian environment features of neighborhood walkability were conducted at the start of an ongoing multilevel, multicomponent physical activity promotion intervention called Community Walks, taking place in 12 low-income public housing developments (PHDs) in Boston, MA, USA. Following these audits, we then explored alternative, remote methods of walkability assessment. One option is the publicly available database of service requests submitted by individuals in municipalities across the U.S. by calling '311' to report problems that can present obstacles to physical activity (e.g., potholes, broken crosswalk signals). In this Community Case Study, we examined the cross-sectional relationship between pedestrian environment features and neighborhood walkability scores in the 12 low-income PHDs in Community Walks, and the frequency of 311 service requests within a 0.1-mile radius of each PHD's address. In adjusted analyses, a one-unit increase in the overall walkability score was associated with a 12% (95% CI: 1.03-1.22) increase in the frequency of 311 service requests. We then describe possible explanations of these findings and implications for community-based physical activity interventions. For example, pedestrian advocacy training is an intervention component that could raise residents' awareness of the 311 system and encourage its use to increase reporting of walkability concerns. This study represents an exploratory starting point for future multi-level physical activity interventions in which 311 data could inform intervention programming aimed at increasing health-promoting physical activity behaviors.