Understanding Walkability in Central Makkah City from the Pedestrian Perception and Behavior in the Context of Comfort

Abstract

Walkability is a concept widely used in walking behaviour studies to describe how equipped an environment is to accommodate walking. The term has had widescale acceptance in Western academic literature. In many rapidly developing countries, however, the term is little recognised, and the contemporary value of walking is still fully recognised. Moreover, there is a dearth of data on this critical mode of transportation exists. This research investigates the notion of walkability in the context of one of the holiest places in the Islamic world. Many scholars have examined walkability at the micro-scale level of city centres; however, a Western-centric perspective dominates. Too few studies have explored walkability in regions with hot climates, and no specific examination has been made to study walkability issues associated with hot, arid weather during a religious event on the scale of Hajj and Umrah. To understand walkability, it is essential to examine the issue at the micro-scale of the street. This article examines the pedestrian perception of walking and the walking behaviour of pilgrims and residents in the central area of Makkah. The data of this study were collected using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The current condition of the study area is examined through observations, interviews, and face-to-face questionnaires. The findings show ’comfort’ attributes, in particular, influence walking choices for the visitors where certain experiences and behaviours occur in response to the physical environment in the central Makkah area. Therefore, it seems that those attributes associated with comfort should dominate the concept of walkability in hot, arid climates, and this emphasis should guide urban planners in their decision-making.