Desirable streets for pedestrians: Using a street-level index to assess walkability

Abstract

Although walkability assessments have enjoyed recent popularity, walkability measures usually often omitted microscale attributes and pedestrian perceptions of the built environment. Generally, walkability measures rely on mesoscale attributes because of their ease of measurement. Walkability indices that combine built environment mesoscale and microscale characteristics are relatively new and have not yet been applied to assess the walkability of an entire city. Rather than focusing on the merits of such an index, this article reports the walkability assessment of all street segments in Bogotá (Colombia), highlighting differences in perceptions among pedestrian types and the uneven quality of pedestrian infrastructure throughout the city. Our results show significant differences were found according to socioeconomic level and age range. However, that preferences for the subjective factors and observable components of walkability are similar by gender. We recommend estimating and adapting indices to represent better local conditions, including microscale attributes and different pedestrian types’ perceptions of the built environment. This methodology is a useful tool for policy-making, as it identifies suitable segments and zones for interventions that improve pedestrian network conditions and also estimates their effect on walkability according to probable changes to the microscale factors according to the pedestrian type.