Despite the recognised positive benefits of cycling overall and for school children specifically, in most developed countries, a decline rather than an increase in active travel to and from school has been observed during the past few decades. In recent years, the concept of bikeability (or bicycle accessibility) emerged, and together with it various bikeability indices that enable to assess the bicycle friendliness of a location and contribute to prioritization of future investments. However, despite the recognition of specific children’s needs regarding road safety, this study is, to the best of my knowledge, a first one developing a bikeability index that reflects the needs of children on their way to and from school. By reviewing existing streams of (school) accessibility, walkability and urban cycling literature, the study constructs a new school bikeability index and provides a case study of applying the index to primary schools in Stockholm, Sweden, using GIS data. The index, consists of 14, mainly built environment, indicators, weighted by the subjective importance scores assigned to them by children’s caretakers from Stockholm. The case study reveals differences in school bikeability across the focus area. Even the schools that obtained the highest relative score largely lack a cycling infrastructure that would be suitable for children. Further, the study revealed that many schools could significantly improve their bikeability by implementing school-specific measures such as providing bicycle parking, school zone signage or connecting the school entrance with a cycle path or lane directly. Moreover, it revealed shortcomings of the available data regarding cycling infrastructure that Stockholm holds, especially when it comes to reflecting upon the needs of children. Lastly, it has been suggested to consider important interconnectedness among certain indicators for future enhancement of the index and reflect upon varying preferences of certain groups of cyclists and non-cyclists.

Everyone understands that elementary schools in suburban areas are inaccessible and poorly sited. A compelling conclusion from this thesis is that only 12% of the approximately 40,000 elementary school children in Fulton County, Georgia, the focus of this study, are able to walk to school, given the school location and siting. Clearly, school location is a critical impediment for walkability, which is an emerging focus of public health. Three guiding questions are posed to explore the causes and consequences of elementary school inaccessibility. First, what influences the selection and design of elementary school sites in suburban locations? Second, what is the specific evidence that demonstrates inaccessibility? Third, what actions can be taken to address the problem? Schools located in Fulton County, Georgia are the subject of this thesis because Fulton County is typical of most suburban areas, in that the housing patterns are characterized by low density, cul-de-sac type development, large block size, and are designed with an assumption of total reliance on automobiles. Fifty-three elementary schools are included in this study. Recommendations and strategies are provided to correct the problems in existing schools to make them more accessible. The conclusions and recommendations follow the analysis and strategies are offered at three scales of analysis.

Submitted by CLAYTON SILVA MENDES null (claytonaux@hotmail.com) on 2018-01-25T21:02:59Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTAÇÃO - Clayton S Mendes_FINAL CORRIGIDA.pdf: 5748357 bytes, checksum: 0ae1b6f3fc45bf93b7fc4ed6aa8a9f5f (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Jacqueline de Almeida null (jacquie@franca.unesp.br) on 2018-01-26T18:20:15Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Mendes_CS_me_fran.pdf: 5748357 bytes, checksum: 0ae1b6f3fc45bf93b7fc4ed6aa8a9f5f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-01-26T18:20:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mendes_CS_me_fran.pdf: 5748357 bytes, checksum: 0ae1b6f3fc45bf93b7fc4ed6aa8a9f5f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-01-22 / A implantação de uma política pública visa o tratamento ou a resolução de um problema público coletivamente relevante. As políticas de acessibilidade vêm ganhando destaque, pois facilitam o acesso de pessoas com algum tipo de limitação física a áreas de uso público e espaços de cultura, lazer, trabalho, com independência e vontade própria. Diversas bases legais foram instituídas para garantir esse direito, como a Constituição Federal de 1988, as Leis 10.098/2000 e 13.146/2015, o Decreto 5.296/2004 entre outras, porém ainda não são integralmente cumpridas por diversos órgãos públicos. A Norma Técnica Brasileira NBR 9050/2015, editada pela ABNT (Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas), é apresentada como fonte de orientação para acessibilidade em edificações na construção ou reforma. De acordo com o IBGE (2010), 23,9% da população brasileira possui algum tipo de deficiência e as maiores prevalências são as visuais e físicas (motoras). Este trabalho justifica-se pela relevância do tema e a importância no sentido de garantir a esse público o acesso adequado aos prédios públicos e de uso coletivo, especificamente o acesso à educação. Portanto, este estudo pautou-se na análise das situações de acessibilidade em três escolas públicas da cidade de Passos-MG e seu entorno, das diferentes esferas governamentais (municipal, estadual e federal), propondo adequações a partir de métodos e técnicas estabelecidas nas normas e legislação vigente. Para tanto, utilizou-se de metodologia descritiva (BARROS e LEHFELD, 2007), por meio de levantamento bibliográfico e documental sobre o tema, principalmente os marcos legais e documentos oficiais; a criação de um instrumento de avaliação; a pesquisa de campo, que inclui fotografias e medições; a análise dos dados levantados e a proposição de soluções. A análise dos dados foi realizada comparando-os com as normas técnicas vigentes, principalmente a NBR-9050/2015. Como resultado, foi produzido um relatório de como cada escola trata a questão da acessibilidade. O instrumento de avaliação construído para o desenvolvimento desse trabalho, pode ser utilizado pela Prefeitura Municipal de Passos, bem como por outros órgãos fiscalizadores na aprovação de novas obras. / The implementation of a public policy aims at the treatment or resolution of a collectively relevant public problem. Accessibility policies have been gaining prominence, since they facilitate the access of people with some type of physical limitation to areas of public use and spaces of culture, leisure, work, with independence and own will. Several legal bases were established to guarantee this right, such as the Federal Constitution of 1988, Laws 10,098 / 2000 and 13,146 / 2015, Decree 5,296 / 2004, among others, but are not yet fully complied with by various public bodies. The Brazilian Technical Standard NBR 9050/2015, published by ABNT (Brazilian Association of Technical Standards), is presented as a source of orientation for accessibility in buildings in construction or renovation. According to IBGE (2010), 23.9% of the Brazilian population has some type of disability and the highest prevalences are visual and physical (motor). This work is justified by the relevance of the theme and the importance of guaranteeing this public adequate access to public buildings and collective use, specifically access to education. Therefore, this study was based on the analysis of accessibility situations in three public schools in the city of Passos-MG and its surroundings, from different governmental spheres (municipal, state and federal), proposing adaptations based on methods and techniques established in the norms and current legislation. For that, a descriptive methodology was used (BARROS and LEHFELD, 2007), through a bibliographic and documentary survey on the subject, mainly legal landmarks and official documents; the creation of an evaluation tool; field research, which includes photographs and measurements; the analysis of the data collected and the proposition of solutions. Data analysis was performed comparing them with current technical standards, mainly to NBR-9050/2015. As a result, a report has been produced on how each school addresses accessibility. The evaluation instrument built for the development of this work can be used by the Municipality of Passos, as well as by other supervisory bodies in the approval of new works.