On the Road to Healthy Communities: Cyclists’ Perceptions of the Environment

This focus of this research was to gain insight into environmental perception as it relates to the connection between ecological and human health. Methodology for this task involved a photo elicitation process, which asked cyclists to photograph certain environments that they experience on a regular basis and discuss them during a formal interview. Findings supported the literature related to traditional ideas of nature as well the scenic aesthetic as popular environmental views. Appearance played a dominant role in perception of environmental quality, although sense of place, visual literacy, and other personal connections were highly important as well. Subjects displayed traits of anthropocentric, biocentric, or ecocentric viewpoints, with the majority of the participants falling into the biocentric category.