Constructing legacy: walking audits of the leisure time physical activity potential of Tokyo Olympic venues and their urban milieu

Hosting the Olympic Games provides opportunities for municipalities to re-imagine urban spaces to promote active leisure. Our research systematically assessed the pre-Olympic conditions for leisure time physical activity (LTPA) in the vicinity of multi-use venues for the Tokyo Games. Researchers conducted walking audits in the surrounds of three venues within two years of the opening ceremony, including the Olympic Stadium, Athlete Village and Musashino Sports Plaza. Audits employed the validated Physical Activity Resource Assessment (PARA) instrument, photographic protocols and GPS mapping. Audit scores for urban features, amenities and incivilities were averaged across researchers, and summative scores provided. Photographs and field notes augmented the evaluation. Six environmental challenges for LTPA legacies were identified, including limited resource accessibility, lack of amenities, health nuisance, vegetation overgrowth, heat effects and disaster risk. These findings indicate that there are important ecological considerations that should be addressed to leverage Olympic hosting in support of LTPA objectives.