Alleys: The future of walkability in suburbs

Abstract

Alleys have the potential to become the future of walkability in suburban areas. This study strongly advocates for the incorporation of alleyways as fundamental components of circulation systems when designing walkable suburban neighborhoods. For this purpose, a dataset comprising 30 neighborhood samples have been meticulously selected from the cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The Edge Betweenness centrality measure is used to assess how the inclusion of alleys affects the estimated trips along the network segments. This is achieved by comparing the analysis values for two network scenarios: one before and one after the inclusion of alleys. The objective of this analysis is to ascertain the circumstances under which alleys are considered as either a complementary or compensatory system to streets. The results reveal that the principal determinant of alleys' capacity to complement or compensate for street networks depends on their relative density in relation to streets. Moreover, other attributes of alleys, such as their continuity, distribution within the network, and direction, have been demonstrated to influence their utilization as central links in the network. The valuable insights derived from this analysis are instrumental in informing urban policies and design practices, contributing to the creation of more walkable areas in suburban areas.