Active Transportation for Underrepresented Populations in the United States: A Systematic Review of Literature

Abstract

To provide an equitable transportation system for the public, it is vital to fully understand underrepresented populations’ active transportation needs and their challenges. This study is designed to identify the active transportation studies that focus on underrepresented populations, evaluate the quantification approaches used in the literature, and uncover barriers to the use of active transportation among underrepresented populations in the United States. We used PRISMA guidelines to systematically review relevant publications. After screening and reviewing the literature, some 60 articles were included in the review. The most frequent results when reviewing the literature include that active travel and daily transport trips decreased from younger to older age groups; bicycling was more popular among men, White, and individuals with higher education, whereas walking was more popular among women; bike usage was found to be low among minorities, and those with lower incomes. Furthermore, communities with poor accessibility to bike infrastructure had a larger concentration of African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, low-wage employees, individuals with lower education, and older adults.