Abstract

Improving walking and biking for recreation contributes to enhancing public health. Despite the importance of social and physical variables in promoting walking and biking as recreational activities, few studies have looked at how these domains simultaneously influence these activities. This study aims to investigate the links between walking and cycling as recreational activities and the individual, social, and built environmental factors in the medium-sized southern city of Temuco. The objectives were examined utilising a quantitative method and three types of regression analysis. Despite a finding that people’s attitudes towards cycling are more positive than those towards walking or using a private car, just a small portion of respondents reported using bicycles for recreation. The results show that several factors are related to walking and cycling as recreational activities, such as age, encouragement, companionship, lifestyle, and safety. Urban policymakers may use these findings to promote walking and cycling for recreation. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.