Changes in Walkable Streets during the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Suburban City in the Osaka Metropolitan Area

Haruka Kato,Daisuke Matsushita

doi:10.3390/su13137442

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the walkable streets where traffic behavior changed according to each residential cluster during the COVID-19 pandemic. By elucidating the changes, it is possible to identify streets that should be redesigned following the changes in traffic behavior in relation to human mobility. This study analyzed Ibaraki City, a suburban city located in the Osaka Metropolitan Area. The analysis compared the panel data of the GPS Location History for April 2020 and April 2019. The analysis method used was Empirical Bayesian kriging. The results show that the speed significantly increased in the dense, sprawl, mountain, and old NT clusters. It was also found that the number of cyclists increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results suggest a need to design walkable streets according to each residential cluster for the post-COVID-19 pandemic era. For example, some car lanes need to be converted to bike lanes in the main neighborhood to create walkable streets in the clusters.

Highlights

The results suggest a need to design walkable streets according to each residential cluster for the post-COVID-19 pandemic era
This study identified the streets where traffic behavior changed during the COVID-19 pandemic
Walkable streets need to be designed according to each residential cluster for the post-COVID-19 pandemic era

Summary

Introduction

Walkability in Japanese cities needs to improve [1]. Walkability is defined as a property of a residential environment that promotes walking or cycling with safety, comfort, and the attractions of daily life [1]. It is a “new normal” lifestyle to live within walking distance, changing from driving cars to walking or cycling. Improving walkability is expected to contribute to the health of residents [2,3] and to the ecological footprint as a part of urban sustainability [4]

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