Integrating MaaS and Active Mobility for a Child-Friendly City: A Meta-Analytic Review

Abstract Despite the urgent need for sustainable urban mobility, the digital initiatives of most cities, such as Mobility as a Service (MaaS), have not fully integrated the principles and networks of active mobility (walking and cycling). This limited operational integration persists, even though MaaS could be key to enabling a modal shift from private cars and improving the quality of life. While academics explore indicators for the potential of MaaS, the vital role of walkability and cyclability remains neglected in operational tools and policy implementation. Walking is required to access any MaaS service, and path choice depends on both behavior and urban characteristics. Addressing this weak link between MaaS deployment and active mobility promotion is essential for increasing the sustainability, accessibility, and attractiveness of cities. To lead policymakers to better understand how active mobility and MaaS can be merged for pedestrian-friendly goals, this paper aims to define the weight of urban characteristics attributed by the most recent studies that influence children’s walking and cycling choices. This goal is reached by developing a scoping review in the urban planning field through a meta-analysis, to compare statistical data from previous studies on the topic and provide, in a quantitative estimate, the relevance of the variables considered. The meta-analysis is processed with Meta-Essentials software and forest diagrams, and an analysis of heterogeneity and publication bias is carried out to show that urban variables like Residential Density and Connectivity can positively affect children’s walking and cycling. The results suggest that some urban variables like residential density and connectivity can directly influence children’s mobility choices. Strengthening pedestrian and cycle networks, promoting the principles of proximity and pedestrian-friendly cities, and, for MaaS, locating intermodal hubs are proposed as examples of interventions to be implemented at the local level.