Making the narrative walk-in-real-time methodology relevant for public health intervention: Towards an integrative approach Sylvie Miaux a,n , Louis Drouin b , Patrick Morency b , Sophie Paquin b , Lise Gauvin c , Christophe Jacquemin d a De´partementd’e ´tudes en loisir, culture et tourisme, Universite´ du Que ´bec  a Trois-Rivi  eres 3351, boul. Des Forges, C.P. 500, 4034, Pavillon ringuet, Trois-Rivi  eres (Que´bec), Canada G9A 5H7 b E ´ quipe Environnement Urbain et Sante ´, Direction de la sante´publique, Agence de la sante´et desservices sociauxde Montre ´al; Centre de recherche Le´a-Roback sur lesine´galite´s sociales de sante´ de Montre ´al, 1301 Sherbrooke Est, Montre ´al, Que ´bec, Canada, H2L 1M3 c CRCHUM, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l’Universite´ de Montre´al; Centre de recherche Le´a-Roback sur les ine´galite ´s sociales de sante´ de Montre´al, De ´pˆ artement de Me´decine sociale et pre´ventive, Universite´ de Montre´al, Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, 3e e´tage, Bureau 3134-10, Outremont, Que´bec, Canada, H2V 4P3 d De´partement de psychologie, Universite´ du Que ´bec  aTrois-Rivie´res,Trois-Rivie´res,Que ´bec, Canada, G9A 5H7 article info Article history: Received 2 November 2009 Received in revised form 27 July 2010 Accepted 2 August 2010 Keywords: Life experiences Walking Environment Public health Methods abstract The purpose of this article is to describe a novel approach for understanding the subjective experience of being a pedestrian in urban settings. In so doing, we take into account the ‘‘experience of the body in movement’’ as described in different theories and according to different methods, and develop a tool to allow citizens and urban planners to exchange ideas about how to make cities more walkable. Finally, we present the adaptation of the approach for use in public health and provide a rationale for its more widespread use in place and health research. & 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction In recent years, there has been a growing interest in qualitative methodologies in place and health research because these methods allow for richer accounts of perceptions and subjective interpretations about the locations in which people live (Morrow, 2001; Matthews et al., 2006; Carpiano, 2009; Dennis et al., 2009). As underscored by Moon (1995), qualitative methods offer pivotal opportunities for developing new ideas. From the applied perspectives of urban planning and public health – professions that encourage walking and other forms of non-motorized ambulation – capturing what motivates or intimidates individuals in relation to moving around in urban settings also appears critical. In this regard, only limited research has focused on the subjective experience of the body in movement in urban settings (Allemand et al., 2004). One reason for this dearth of information is the very recent availability of mobile methods for understanding the nature of the pedestrian experience, which is based, at least in part, on the experience of the body. The purpose of this article is to describe a novel approach for understanding the subjective experience of being a pedestrian in urban settings. In so doing, we take into account the ‘‘experience of the body in movement’’ as described in different theories and according to different methods, and develop more specific procedures as part of the approach to allow citizens and urban planners to exchange ideas about how to make cities more walkable. The approach offers a complement to ongoing research on the determinants of walking (Frank and Pivo (1995); Frank and Engelke (2001); Gauvin et al., 2008; Pikora et al., 2003; Van Dyck et al., 2009) and draws upon a qualitative method called the itinerary method (Petiteau and Pasquier, 2001) which is one of many emerging mobile methods (B¨ usher and Urry, 2009; Sheller and Urry, 2006; Jones et al., 2008; Hein et al., 2008). To appropriately cast the new approach, we review relevant litera- ture, describe the concept of itinerary that allows us to underscore the added-value of using a ‘‘mobile method’’, and describe its adaptation for public health while providing a rationale for its more widespread use in place and health research. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/healthplace Health & Place 1353-8292/$ - see front matter & 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2010.08.002 n Corresponding author. Tel.: + 1 819 376 5011X3298; fax: + 1 819 376 5158. E-mail addresses: sylvie.miaux@uqtr.ca (S. Miaux), ldrouin@santepub-mtl.qc.ca (L. Drouin), pmorency@santepub-mtl.qc.ca (P. Morency), spaquin@santepub-mtl.qc.ca (S. Paquin), Lise.gauvin.2@umontreal.ca (L. Gauvin), Christophe.Jacquemin@uqtr.ca (C. Jacquemin). Health & Place 16 (2010) 1166–1173