Using Landscape Qualities to Enhance Walkability in Two Types of Egyptian Urban Communities

Abstract

Cities are becoming automobile-oriented, driving is chosen for mobility over walking, and planning walkable cities is now a necessity, not a luxury, for people's health and the environment. Considerable research supports that natural settings and quality urban landscapes can promote more walking and encourage physical activity in general. The main objective of the presented study is to determine urban landscape qualities and features that can enhance the walking experience in two different types of urban communities in Greater Cairo Region, the inner-city areas and the new urban communities (suburbs). For this purpose, the paper starts with defining walkability, walkable communities, and their characteristics and benefits, and then discusses the factors that influence travel behaviour in Cairo, focusing on those related to urban landscape qualities. Then the study follows a quantitative approach using a public survey to investigate factors that can encourage or discourage walking in inner-city areas and suburbs and the landscape qualities and features that can influence these factors. Survey results showed that urban landscape qualities that can provide a good walking environment could be categorized under three main categories: safety, comfort, and level of interest. Exploratory factor analysis results showed that these factors can be also categorized as basic and enhancement factors. Safety is mainly influenced by separation from traffic and adequate night lighting. While thermal comfort is the most influential factor in achieving pedestrian comfort, the richness of landscape elements and using special themes and local plants and materials strongly influence people's interest and their choice of specific routes over others. The study points out that the areas that achieve proximity of residential units to daily needed services have a higher potential for interventions to promote walking for all trip purposes. While in areas like suburbs where there are vast areas between uses, landscape qualities can only promote walking for leisure or physical activity but not a choice as an everyday travel behaviour.