Abstract
Distance is a recognized key determinant of walking. Pedestrians tend to choose the shortest route between two points. Shortest routes can be spatially described in terms of distances between two points or topologically described as the number of turns/directional changes between these points. This paper presents a methodology to evaluate the conditions provided by a street network to pedestrians, by using two space syntax measures. Accessibility was calculated through Angular Segment Analysis by Metric Distance (ASAMeD), a measure of street integration and choice strongly correlated with pedestrian movement pattern. Street Connectivity was calculated by using the space syntax measure of connectivity, which shows the direct connection of street nodes to each individual nodes. The streets criterion values of both approaches were normalized by using fuzzy logic linear functions. The method was applied in the city center of Qazvin, Iran. Results showed that the urban structure of Qazvin has a strong impact on the performance of the network. The old neighborhood centers widespread in the city center presented a high topological accessibility, while the most connected street are those streets crossing and surrounding the neighborhood areas. The method can be used to evaluate and improve pedestrian networks, as it can distinguish the most and least attractive streets according to the criteria used. These findings can be used to guide policies towards improving walkability and to create more walkable and sustainable cities.
Highlights
Walking is one of the least expensive and most accessible modes of transportation.Nowadays, there is growing interest in walkability due to sustainable mobility being widespread in urban areas
This study aims to understand the relationships between urban morphology and walkability by combining geographic and topological measures and by using qualitative and quantitative approaches
The method was applied in the city center of Qazvin, Iran
Summary
Walking is one of the least expensive and most accessible modes of transportation.Nowadays, there is growing interest in walkability due to sustainable mobility being widespread in urban areas. Walking has become an important alternative means of transport for short trips in urban areas. Several authors have analyzed walkability and focused on diverse topics such as (i) physical activity and health [3,4,5,6]; (ii) criteria affecting walking [7,8,9,10,11,12]; (iii) creating pedestrian indices or walkability scores [13,14,15,16,17,18]; and (iv) behavioral research [19,20]. Behavioral researchers have focused on walking as an alternative means of transport and the criteria interfering with the choices people make when walking [1,4,21,22,23]
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