The implication of street network design for walkability: A review

Abstract

A street network-friendly design allows walkability among people and is proven beneficial to the environment, community health, and economy of the city. Walkability in a street network increases potential trips by pedestrians through sidewalks and linked streets to create shorter travel distances. Street designs for pedestrian walkways are commonly ignored, with more focus on vehicular access, consequently leading to a lack of effort in improving the street network designs linked to various destinations. Accordingly, this paper reviews the street network designs affecting walkability from the perspective of the urban community. A systematic literature review method was employed to identify and analyse the articles published in the Sciencedirect.com database between 2004 and 2020 using two keywords: street network design and walkable city. The main finding suggested that street networks were associated with proper street designs. Therefore, a walkable city developed from a thriving street network design improved local physical activities and healthy communities.