The phenomenon of walking: diverse and dynamic

Abstract

Everyday walking is a far-reaching activity with the potential to increase health and well-being in the general public. From a phenomenological perspective, walking can be seen as a function of being-in-the-world, where the landscape, a sense of place, and the moment are closely entwined with the walker’s own lived experiences. Using interviews with 73 walkers in a medium-sized town in Norway, this article explores the phenomenon of everyday walking. The data illustrate the multiple ways in which people emphasise well-being and ascribe meaning to their walking experiences, and how these ways may vary significantly during a life course, from day to day, and even within a single walk. Insights from this study may prove useful to policy-makers and administrative bodies in acknowledging people’s various needs and gains related to everyday walking, and hence for promoting a diversified management of walking within the field of health policy, as well as in urban planning for walkable cities.

Keywords:

• Walking
• Well-being
• public health
• phenomenology

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all those who contributed to the study through their participation in interviews. We would also like to acknowledge the insightful comments provided by the editor and two anonymous reviewers to the first version of this article.

Notes

1. A few informants told us their age. Others did not, and when quoted, these are referred to by an approximate age.