Walk In Environment Research Articles

Evaluating Pedestrian Congestion Based on Missing Sensing Data

Accurately evaluating pedestrian congestion is crucial for evidence-based improvements in various walking environments. Tracking pedestrian movements in real-world settings often leads to incomplete data collection. Despite this challenge, pedestrian congestion with missing data has not been extensively addressed in existing research. This study examined the impact of missing data on density, speed, and congestion number in the course of evaluating pedestrian congestion. While density is the most commonly used index, speed and congestion number proved more robust.

도시의 공간 패턴 분석을 통한 메타버스 기반 근접성 향상 실용화 방안 연구

This study proposes a method for addressing the limitations of physical proximity in real-world walking environments and focusing on Metaverse-based solutions. The first phase of the research entailed a community analysis centered on locations in Daejeon, through which problematic areas were identified and defined. The second phase involved conducting a survey among users of the Metaverse environment to explore methods of enhancing proximity. Based on these findings, the study developed three approaches to improve proximity in a Metaverse-based environment. It emphasizes the importance of objective data analysis and precise problem definition, underscoring the necessity of developing and designing solutions within the Metaverse environment. Moreover, the study suggests that to enhance user experiences in the Metaverse, a thorough analysis of regional characteristics is essential, followed by the development of tailored Metaverse solutions.

Design and Research on Humanized Innovative Design of Pedestrian Space in Rail Transit

Walking is the main mode of transportation used by people to take rail transit, and it is also the link between rail transit and other kinds of transportation. Ensuring the convenience, comfort and safety of walking in the rail station area is not only an effective way to realize the functional integration of the station, but also the key to promoting green travel and ensuring the sustainable development of the city. This paper studied the walking environment by literature review. This paper summarizes the differences of various walking environments, and finally puts forward suggestions on the improvement of walking environment in urban rail stations.

Walkability and socio-economic status in relation to walking, playing and sports practice in a representative Spanish sample of youth: The PASOS study.

Physical activity (PA) provides multiple health-related benefits in children and adolescents, however, at present, the majority of young people are insufficiently physically active. The aim of this study was to evaluate if neighborhood walkability and/or socio-economic status (SES) could affect the practice of walking, play outdoors and sports practice in a representative sample of Spanish children and adolescents. A sample of 4092 youth (aged 8-16 years old) from 245 primary and secondary schools in 121 localities from each of the 17 Spanish autonomous communities participated in the study. Walk Score was used to evaluate walkability of the neighborhood and household income was used as an indicator of SES. A 7-item self-reported validated questionnaire, was used to assess PA levels, and in a subsample of 10% of the participants, randomly selected from the entire sample, PA was objectively measured by accelerometers. Youth from more walkable areas reported more minutes walking per day compared with those from less walkable neighborhoods (51.4 vs 48.8 minutes, respectively). The lowest average minutes spent in playing outdoors was found among participants from low-SES and low-walkable neighborhoods. Neighborhood SES influenced on the participation in team sports during the weekend, being this participation higher in high SES neighborhoods. Providing high walkable environments seems a good strategy to promote PA regardless SES levels. It seems that improving the walkability is a key component to partially overcome the SES inequalities, especially in urban areas with low SES. High-SES environments can offer better sports facilities and more organized physical activities than low-SES ones.

Analysis of Hotspots in and outside School Zones: A Case Study of Seoul

With growing social concern on pedestrian accidents involving children, the Korean government announced a plan to decrease the number of child deaths due to traffic accidents by 2026. Therefore, policymakers should consider various measures for school zones because a safe school walkway is essential for preventing traffic accidents around schools. Some parts of the roads within a radius of 300 m from elementary school and kindergarten entrances are designated as school zones. Certain roads experience frequent accidents within the school zone, while others experience frequent accidents outside the school zone. Hence, this study aimed to provide school zone types in Seoul by noting different occurrence accidents within and outside each school zone and suggest proper countermeasure by type. After selecting a 300 m radius analysis unit from the school zones, a distinction was made between the school zones and outside for each analysis unit. After verifying the spatial autocorrelation in each unit, hotspot analysis identified four types based on the presence or absence of hotspots in each unit. Types were defined as follows: Type A—no hotspots in school zones or outside the school zones; Type B—hotspots only outside the school zones; Type C—hotspots only the school zones; and Type D—hotspots both in school zones and outside the school zones. Subsequently, a case study was conducted to validate the types. For Types B and C, the results revealed differences in the installation of traffic safety facilities and the environment between within and outside the school zones. Therefore, Type B requires improving safety outside the school zones by expanding school zones to match the safety level within. For Type C, it implies the need to strengthen safety measures in the school zones. Lastly, for Type D, improvement projects for a safe walking environment should be implemented in primarily by conducting separate inspections.

ECR Spotlight – Corbin Rasmussen

ECR Spotlight is a series of interviews with early-career authors from a selection of papers published in Journal of Experimental Biology and aims to promote not only the diversity of early-career researchers (ECRs) working in experimental biology but also the huge variety of animals and physiological systems that are essential for the ‘comparative’ approach. Corbin Rasmussen is an author on ‘ Curvilinear walking elevates fall risk and modulates slip and compensatory step attributes after unconstrained human slips’, published in JEB. Corbin conducted the research described in this article while a PhD student in Nathaniel H. Hunt's lab at the Department of Biomechanics, University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA. Corbin is now a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the lab of Sara A. Myers, at the Department of Biomechanics, University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA, investigating the mechanisms of human balance recovery across commonly encountered walking environments and tasks.

Gait Factor on the Energy Harvesting for a Simple Biped Robot

To design walk-fast and energy-efficient robots, there has been lots of work in the last decade examining the locomotion dynamics of a passive biped. As the walking environment or system parameter changes, an energy use efficient robot may become inefficient. A possible approach to increase the energy efficiency is through the ability to harvest the energy used during the locomotion. The paper’s main goal is to investigate the relations between walking speed, the locomotion energy consumption of a passive biped, and the ability to retrieve the lost energy as locomotion energy efficiency varies. Piezoelectric bimorphs were attached to the feet of the biped to harvest energy via exploiting the acceleration excitations induced vibrations at the instant foot lift and heel strike. It is found that as a foot-to-hip mass ratio increases, the stable periodic-1 (P1) walking gait becomes slower and more energy costing. Also it means more available energy to harvest, although the retrieved energy is much smaller compared to the locomotive energy. Once the foot-to-hip mass ratio passes the periodic doubling (PD) point, P1 walking gaits will become limped P2 walking gaits, and the high energy cost situation alleviates, which also means less available energy to harvest. On the other hand, if the foot-to-hip mass ratio is fixed and the slope angle increases, the walking will experience sequences of PD bifurcations, and the walking gaits go through P1, P2, P4, P8, and chaotic walking. As the walking gaits change, the average walking efficiency, average locomotion energy consumption, and average harvested energy grow as the slope becomes deeper.

Walkable and Safe Route to Transit for Pedestrians in Greater Montréal: An Environmental Justice Approach

The experience of walking to transit stops plays a critical role in the use of public transportation. Having a safe and walkable environment for this part of the trip is even more important for vulnerable population groups, who depend more heavily on public transportation. The aim of this paper was to evaluate first mile/last mile walkability and road risks in the Montréal metropolitan area using an environmental justice approach. Using a spatially sound method, we determined that areas where more people identify as visible minorities are disadvantaged as far as walking-to-transit routes are concerned and that areas with higher proportions of people on low incomes and people aged 65 and over have more walkable environments but also have to deal with more road risk.

Sensing walkability? Opportunities and limitations of electrodermal activity as an indicator of walkable urban environments

ABSTRACT Stress and other emotions are increasingly used as a lens for evaluating the quality of urban environments. Researchers hope that wearable biosensors may allow for widespread measurement of emotions during everyday activities. There are substantial technical and theoretical challenges to deploying biosensors in field settings and meaningfully interpreting their data. This study evaluates how electrodermal activity (EDA) may be used to understand walkers’ responses to environmental design along real-world streets. Results show that subjects have consistent EDA responses to some environmental variables, but that EDA does not straightforwardly indicate emotional valence–favor or disfavor–potentially limiting its usefulness for planning.

Policy-reality gaps in Africa’s walking cities: Contextualizing institutional perspectives and residents’ lived experiences in Accra

ABSTRACT This paper confronts the current policy landscape and lived experiences of walking in African cities through the lens of policies, plans, institutional, and residents’ narratives. The paper builds on qualitative evidence drawn from content analysis and semi-structured interviews with local-level stakeholders across policy sectors concerned directly or indirectly with walking and walkability in the city. Perspectives from local government institutions are first reviewed to ascertain considerations for accessibility, safety, and pleasurability dimensions of walking and, second, contrasted with the lived walking experiences of residents of low-income settlements in Accra. Results indicate limited attention to pleasurability dimensions in both policy and municipal plans and significant incongruities with residents’ lived realities of walking. This parallel between the frameworks and plans underpinning the construction of the walking environment and the lived experiences of those affected by such decisions seeks to nuance debates about policy-reality (dis)junctures in African urbanism.

A randomised controlled trial assessing the effects of weather sensitivity profile and walking in nature on the psychophysiological response to stress in individuals with coronary artery disease. A study protocol

BackgroundThe following protocol pertains to a pioneer study, aiming to investigate how weather sensitivity and walking in different environments affects the psychophysiological responses to the stress of individuals with coronary artery disease (CAD) during rehabilitation (WE_SENSE_THE_NATURE). This randomised control trial will provide fresh insight on the influence of the environmental exposure in CAD patients, as it is seldom investigated in association to the disease. Additionally, findings on the link between personality traits and cognitive functions (especially cognitive flexibility), and weather sensitivity may help reveal a fine-grained perspective on the treatment possibilities for individuals with CAD at risk to stress-vulnerability.MethodsThe proposed protocol is for a randomised control trial among individuals attending a cardiac rehabilitation program. We aim to recruit 164 individuals, collecting information related to demographic characteristics, weather sensitivity, functional capacity, personality traits, subjective mental health status, cognitive function, and basal cortisol level of participating individuals. Basal cortisol level refers to cortisol concentration in saliva and will be tested in the morning and the afternoon prior to the day of the experiment. After baseline measurements, the patients will be randomly assigned to either walking outdoors or walking indoors. All measures and their sequential order will remain the same within each group, while the treatment condition (i.e., walking environment) will vary between groups. On the day of the experiment, hemodynamic parameters (assessed via 6-hour blood pressure measurements), stress level (consisting of assessments of cortisol level), and mood (assessed using visual analogues scale) will be registered. Cold stress test will be administered to evaluate the effect of walking in different environments.DiscussionThe outcomes of this study may have direct clinical applications for the use of different types of exercise environments in cardiac rehabilitation programs. Awareness about the potential influence of weather sensitivity on the psychophysiological reactions to stress in individuals with CAD may contribute to a timely planning and implementation of actions leading to improved medical care services and preventive measures, especially considering the expected weather oscillations and extreme weather events due to unfolding of the climate change.Trial registrationThis protocol has been retrospectively registered in ClinicalTrials.gov with identifier code: NCT06139705 on November 20, 2023.

Measuring the age-friendliness of streets' walking environment using multi-source big data: A case study in Shanghai, China

The rapidly aging population demands more public and academic attention to both the physical and psychological needs of older adults. Walking is one of the most favored forms of transportation and exercise for older adults. Hence, the conditions of walkways and the built environment are critical for the development of an older adults-friendly society. In this research, considering six indicators of greenness, walkability, safety, imageability, enclosure, and complexity, a novel quantitative evaluation model based on multi-source geospatial big datasets is proposed for assessing the age-friendliness of streets' walking environment from both the older adults' and experts' perspectives and has also been successfully applied in the case study of Xuhui District in Shanghai, China. Based on the survey with both groups of older adults and experts, the age-friendliness of the streets' walking environment from both perspectives was obtained, analyzed, and compared. The results show that among all sub-districts in Xuhui District, Tianping Road Sub-district and Hunan Road Sub-district have the best walking environment; and the roads surrounding expressways or arterial roads typically have lower levels of age-friendliness, while sub-arterial roads and access roads generally exhibit higher levels of age-friendliness according to both older adults and experts. It is also noted that streets with high age-friendliness for older adults tend to be outstanding in walkability and greenness, whereas experts prefer streets with high safety and walkability. In addition, the comprehensive analysis of the impact factors on age-friendliness further reveals a series of hidden significant influencing factors associated with the different preferences between older adults and experts. It is believed that our findings are useful for supporting policy-makers on how to improve the age-friendliness of streets and build age-friendly cities.

Perceived neighborhood walkable environment, neighborhood interaction and mental health among residents of different age groups: a case study in Shanghai, China

Purpose This study aims to investigate the relationships between the perceived neighborhood walkable environment (PNWE), neighborhood interaction (NI) and residents’ mental health, with a focus on examining differences among residents of different age groups.Design/methodology/approach Using an electronic survey questionnaire, data on PNWE, NI and mental health were collected from 1,159 residents across 205 communities in Shanghai, China. Our study utilized a structural equation modeling (SEM), employing the maximum likelihood estimation method. The structural equation model was fitted using the MPLUS software.Findings The mental health of young and middle-aged adults is generally poor, and they are at higher risk of depression than children and older adults. The effects of PNWE and NI on the mental health of residents varied among different age groups. As residents get older, their mental health is more affected by the PNWE. In addition, the influence of the PNWE on children and older adults’ mental health is direct and not mediated by NI. For young and middle-aged adults, the influence of the PNWE on their mental health needs to be mediated by NI.Originality/value This study marks the first examination of the relationship between PNWE, NI and mental health among different age groups of residents in China. The findings of this research can assist policymakers in gaining a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which PNWE affects mental health. Furthermore, it can contribute to the development of more targeted walkable environment designs aimed at enhancing mental health among various age groups.

Development of a Chrono‐Urbanism Status Composite Index under the 5/10/15‐Minute City Concept Using Social Media Big Data

AbstractDeveloping walkable urban environments is crucial for enhancing urban liveability and sustainability. To evaluate the chrono‐urbanism status, this study combines conventional census and mapping data with social media check‐in big data. A composite index is proposed, which assesses the accessibility of essential urban functions under the 5/10/15‐minute chrono‐thresholds. This index incorporates five categories of urban functions (public transit, living, education, health care and entertainment) in Macau. Utilising check‐in information from Sina Weibo, the level of attraction for different urban functions is integrated into the calculation. The findings highlight significant disparities in chrono‐urbanism status, with regions inhabited by lower socio‐economic status residents being more vulnerable than the affluent institutional and commercial centre of Macau. Leveraging social media big data, this study provides valuable insights to urban planners and policy‐makers, enabling them to understand the overall chrono‐urbanism status and target interventions for developing a more sustainable and liveable urban environment in Macau.

A Study on the Fabrication of Pressure Measurement Sensors and Intention Verification in a Personalized Socket of Intelligent Above-Knee Prostheses: A Guideline for Fabricating Flexible Sensors Using Velostat Film

Intelligent transfemoral prostheses, which have recently been studied, are equipped with a microcontroller, providing appropriate motion functions for their walking environments. Thus, studies have been conducted to estimate user intentions in locomotion movements by applying biomechanical sensors inside the socket. Among them, a pressure sensor is used to determine the intentions of locomotion movements through changes in the internal pressure of the prosthetic socket. However, existing studies have a problem in that the reproducibility of pressure change data is degraded due to the non-detection and saturation of the pressure measurement value. Accordingly, this study proposes a fabrication method for a wide and flexible pressure sensor that can solve this problem and a method for the identification of user intentions in locomotion movements using it. The proposed system was fabricated with Velostat film, which has a smaller noise impact and can be fabricated in various sizes and shapes. The fabricated sensor was attached to four points inside the socket, confirming the possibility of detecting the intention of six movements according to the multi-critical detection method. The proposed pressure-sensor-based intention detection system can be applied individually by prosthetic users through simple tasks. Moreover, it will be universally applicable for commercialization.

Economic benefits of urban streetscapes: Analyzing the interrelationships between visual street environments and single-family property values in Seoul, Korea

Policymakers and planners often face questions about whether the creation of walkable environments can positively affect nearby housing prices. In response to this situation, numerous previous studies have examined the relationships between neighborhood-scale walkable environments and neighboring property values. However, it remains unknown if micro-scale visual streetscapes significantly affect nearby housing prices. This study builds upon prior literature by examining the economic effects of both neighborhood and streetscape walkability on single-family housing prices in Seoul, Korea. We use 14,686 housing sales transaction data between 2017 and 2019. In addition, this study utilizes a Deeplab V3+ deep learning model using 233,106 Google Street View (GSV) panoramic images to empirically identify micro-scale streetscapes. Based on such data, we employ a hedonic price model to examine the interrelationships between both macro- and micro-scale walkable environments and single-family housing prices. Our findings show that paved sidewalks on streets are associated with higher housing prices in disadvantaged neighborhoods, while street greenery and a sense of enclosure are positively correlated in advantaged areas. In particular, the sense of enclosure presents diminishing marginal effects. Our findings can help policymakers and planners establish detailed design strategies and guidelines for creating walkable environments that can maximize these economic benefits.

Enhancing pedestrian perceived safety through walking environment modification considering traffic and walking infrastructure.

Urban policies have recently been formulated, following the increasing interest in pedestrian-friendly cities, people-centered safety, and accessibility. Despite the research efforts on physical walking safety, safety evaluations centered on pedestrian perception have been under-reported. Investigating the factors affecting pedestrian subjective safety perception is critical to promoting walking intention because pedestrians forgo walking if they feel unsafe. This study explored the relationship between various walking environmental factors and pedestrians' psychological perception of safety by surveying 99 pedestrians' perceptions at nine study sites and conducting a field investigation. Because of the multifaceted nature of pedestrian perception, mediation effect analyses were also conducted to understand the relationship between walking environment factors and perceived safety in depth, considering the role of the perception of traffic characteristics and walking infrastructure. This study found that walking environmental factors closely related to physical safety (e.g., traffic safety facilities and crosswalks) may not greatly contribute to perceived safety and demonstrated that maintaining infrastructure quality is essential for enhancing perceived safety, considering the mediating effect of the perception of infrastructure on perceived safety. The results imply that to improve the walking environment, it is necessary to consider both the physical safety and the perceived safety of pedestrians. This requires comprehensive planning for enhancing traffic safety facilities as well as ensuring user comfort and pleasure through quality infrastructure. This study can provide a basis for enhancing pedestrian-centered safety and promoting residents' walking intention for public health while increasing their perceptions of safety.

Perception of tourists and residents on the pedestrian environment of heritage cities

In China, most heritage sites are car-free destinations due to narrow roads, a result of government policy. This study examines the relationship between environmental factors and pedestrian perceptions in Gulangyu, China, among both residents and tourists. It analyses how different groups perceive the environment while walking, aiming to create a more functional walking environment that balances the needs of both groups. The study employed a quantitative approach, specifically logistic regression analysis, to examine the relationship between environmental factors and pedestrian perceptions. Statistical software, SPSS, was utilized for data analysis. The results of logistic regression analysis indicate that resident’s perceptions are significantly influenced by comfort level, lighting, building maintenance, commercial attractiveness, and historic buildings. For tourists, the four factors significantly impacting the walking experience are road cleanliness, the indicating system, building facades along the street, and walking pleasure. The study reveals that the walking perceptions of residents and tourists suggest diverse concerns and experiences of the environment due to the different purposes of walking for each group.

Deep Learning-Based Identification Algorithm for Transitions Between Walking Environments Using Electromyography Signals Only.

Although studies on terrain identification algorithms to control walking assistive devices have been conducted using sensor fusion, studies on transition classification using only electromyography (EMG) signals have yet to be conducted. Therefore, this study was to suggest an identification algorithm for transitions between walking environments based on the entire EMG signals of selected lower extremity muscles using a deep learning approach. The muscle activations of the rectus femoris, vastus medialis and lateralis, semitendinosus, biceps femoris, tibialis anterior, soleus, medial and lateral gastrocnemius, flexor hallucis longus, and extensor digitorum longus of 27 subjects were measured while walking on flat ground, upstairs, downstairs, uphill, and downhill and transitioning between these walking surfaces. An artificial neural network (ANN) was used to construct the model, taking the entire EMG profile during the stance phase as input, to identify transitions between walking environments. The results show that transitioning between walking environments, including continuously walking on a current terrain, was successfully classified with high accuracy of 95.4 % when using all muscle activations. When using a combination of muscle activations of the knee extensor, ankle extensor, and metatarsophalangeal flexor group as classifying parameters, the classification accuracy was 90.9 %. In conclusion, transitioning between gait environments could be identified with high accuracy with the ANN model using only EMG signals measured during the stance phase.

Neighborhood Perceptions Are Associated With Intrinsic Amygdala Activity and Resting-State Connectivity With Salience Network Nodes Among Older Adults.

Neighborhood perceptions are associated with physical and mental health outcomes; however, the biological associates of this relationship remain to be fully understood. Here, we evaluate the relationship between neighborhood perceptions and amygdala activity and connectivity with salience network (i.e., insula, anterior cingulate, thalamus) nodes. Forty-eight older adults (mean age = 68 [7] years, 52% female, 47% non-Hispanic Black, 2% Hispanic) without dementia or depression completed the Perceptions of Neighborhood Environment Scale. Lower scores indicated less favorable perceptions of aesthetic quality, walking environment, availability of healthy food, safety, violence (i.e., more perceived violence), social cohesion, and participation in activities with neighbors. Participants separately underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Less favorable perceived safety ( β = -0.33, pFDR = .04) and participation in activities with neighbors ( β = -0.35, pFDR = .02) were associated with higher left amygdala activity, independent of covariates including psychosocial factors. Less favorable safety perceptions were also associated with enhanced left amygdala functional connectivity with the bilateral insular cortices and the left anterior insula ( β = -0.34, pFDR = .04). Less favorable perceived social cohesion was associated with enhanced left amygdala functional connectivity with the right thalamus ( β = -0.42, pFDR = .04), and less favorable perceptions about healthy food availability were associated with enhanced left amygdala functional connectivity with the bilateral anterior insula (right: β = -0.39, pFDR = .04; left: β = -0.42, pFDR = .02) and anterior cingulate gyrus ( β = -0.37, pFDR = .04). Taken together, our findings document relationships between select neighborhood perceptions and amygdala activity as well as connectivity with salience network nodes; if confirmed, targeted community-level interventions and existing community strengths may promote brain-behavior relationships.