A Literature Review of Parameter-Based Models for Walkability Evaluation

Abstract

Many scientific papers that deal with the topic of the pedestrian environment use a predefined form for assessing or evaluating its quality as a basic methodological instrument. The aim of this research is to emphasize the dimension of the available audit tools or methodologies in order to develop a full-scale database of indices that can be used for the measurement and evaluation of the pedestrian environment. By analyzing 115 research papers selected according to predefined selection criteria, the basic methodological apparatus or the evaluation instrument was observed. Based on the analysis carried out in this way, a number of 40 valid instruments were identified by which it was possible to evaluate the pedestrian environment. The observed instruments have a high level of reliability according to the high values of the ICC coefficient, IRR test, or Kappa value. There are 193 items for the evaluation of the pedestrian environment that were derived from the observed instruments. The items were arranged over seven groups regarding the quality of the pedestrian environment, namely, Functionality, Safety, Comfort, Mobility, Environment, Connectivity, and Aesthetics. On average, the items distributed over those seven groups are in use throughout the entire pool of instruments at the level of 47.41% across all groups. There are 30 instruments or methodologies that are objectively based, 4 subjectively oriented, and 6 with elements of both approaches. Of the instruments, 14 measure and assess the pedestrian environment through a quantitative data set, while 20 are designed for qualitative assessment. Only six of the instruments contain both qualitative and quantitative measuring items. A large percentage of analyzed papers that use a predefined methodology or instrument indicate the need to deepen the field of research and to include additional aspects that would give more authoritative results.

Assessment of park paths and trails to promote physical accessibility among wheelchair users in Saudi Arabia

“…It has been demonstrated that the PEAT is a valid instrument with moderate to high inter-rater reliability for its major items (k-values between .46–.71, observed agreement ≥81%) and significant agreement between PEAT audits and GPS-derived measurements (0.77; k-values were ≥.57) ( Dragović et al, 2023 ; Joseph & Maddock, 2016 ; Troped et al, 2006 ; Zoellner et al, 2012 ). The PEAT and its’ manual can be accessed from Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania’s website https://www.med.upenn.edu/beat/peat-materials.html…”

Innovative Approach to Promoting Walkability in Lisbon

“…Several spatial models have been widely used [28,36], combined or not with GIS [37] and multivariate analysis techniques [38][39][40][41][42][43][44]. Recently, urban studies have examined walkability using a wide range of variables of a diverse nature [45], e.g., geometric, functional, social [28], environmental [38], etc., which translate into pedestrian flow indicators [3], attractiveness [37], usability [28], comfort, safety, quality [39], etc. They have generally used graph theory and, above all, the space syntax method [3,[46][47][48] in particular.…”

Toward Resilient Urban Design: Pedestrians as an Important Element of City Design

“…This new approach of moving around by walking or cycling, along with public transport, is an excellent alternative that can improve urban mobility while also increasing a system's sustainability. A city's stakeholders can promote all of this by making changes in infrastructures, new rules to protect pedestrians and cyclists, and sustainable urban planning decisions [16][17][18][19].…”