A Reliability Check of Walkability Indices in Seoul, Korea

Eun Jung Kim,Young-Jae Kim

doi:10.3390/su12010176

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate walkability levels using popular indices and check the measurement reliability between those indices. This study evaluates the city of Seoul, using 100 × 100 m grid points (N = 44,000) as spatial units of analysis. In this study, four types of indices were used to measure walkability levels: Walkability index (WI), Walk score (WS), Pedshed (Ps), and Movability index (MI). This study utilizes Pearson’s R, Brand–Altman plot with limit of agreement (LOA), and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) as reliability check methods. The measurement reliability among the four indices was found to be relatively high. The Pearson’s R values were between 0.308 and 0.645, and the range of inside LOA of Brand–Altman plots was 94.5% to 95.5%. The ICC value of the four indices was 0.544, indicating moderate reliability. The results reveal a relatively high level of measurement reliability between the four indices. On the basis of this study’s results, the level of walkability in other cities in Korea can be ascertained. The study may provide future direction for walkability index development that considers urban environmental characteristics. From the results, we expect that future urban planning and policies will aim to improve walkability.

Highlights

As health problems such as overweight and obesity become more serious, various studies and policies are being conducted and implemented in many countries to promote physical activity in urban environments [1,2]
This study examines the reliability among four walkability indices (e.g., Walkability index (WI), Walk score (WS), Ps, and Movability index (MI)) using these methods
When examining SD values, the distribution of MI 3a. pRpeesaurletds to be closer to normal distribution than that of WI

Summary

Introduction

As health problems such as overweight and obesity become more serious, various studies and policies are being conducted and implemented in many countries to promote physical activity in urban environments [1,2]. Korea is not free from this health issue, the Community Health Survey of Korea revealed that the rate of walking has decreased from 50.6% (’08) to 39.7% (’17), and the rate of obesity has increased from 21.6% (’08) to 28.6% (’17) over the past decade [18] This increase in obesity and sedentary lifestyle patterns has emerged as a social problem in Korea, which has led to studies on pedestrian-friendly urban environments [19,20,21]. The city of Seoul recently announced a mid- to long-term plan for promoting walking over the five years This plan was developed on the principle of creating an urban environment that prioritizes walkers throughout Seoul [23]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion