Assessing the micro-scale environment using Google Street View: the Virtual Systematic Tool for Evaluating Pedestrian Streetscapes (Virtual-STEPS)

Abstract

Background Altering micro-scale features of neighborhood walkability (e.g., benches, sidewalks, and cues of social disorganization or crime) could be a relatively cost-effective method of creating environments that are conducive to active living. Traditionally, measuring the micro-scale environment has required researchers to perform observational audits. Technological advances have led to the development of virtual audits as alternatives to observational field audits with the enviable properties of cost-efficiency from elimination of travel time and increased safety for auditors. This study examined the reliability of the Virtual Systematic Tool for Evaluating Pedestrian Streetscapes (Virtual-STEPS), a Google Street View-based auditing tool specifically designed to remotely assess micro-scale characteristics of the built environment. Methods We created Virtual-STEPS, a tool with 40 items categorized into 6 domains (pedestrian infrastructure, traffic calming and streets, building characteristics, bicycling infrastructure, transit, and aesthetics). Items were selected based on their past abilities to predict active living and on their feasibility for a virtual auditing tool. Two raters performed virtual and field audits of street segments in Montreal neighborhoods stratified by the Walkscore that was used to determine the ‘walking-friendliness’ of a neighborhood. The reliability between virtual and field audits (n = 40), as well as inter-rater reliability (n = 60) were assessed using percent agreement, Cohen’s Kappa statistic, and the Intra-class Correlation Coefficient. Results Virtual audits and field audits (excluding travel time) took similar amounts of time to perform (9.8 versus 8.2 min). Percentage agreement between virtual and field audits, and for inter-rater agreement was 80% or more for the majority of items included in the Virtual-STEPS tool. There was high reliability between virtual and field audits with Kappa and ICC statistics indicating that 20 out of 40 (50.0%) items had almost perfect agreement and 13 (32.5%) items had substantial agreement. Inter-rater reliability was also high with 17 items (42.5%) with almost perfect agreement and 11 (27.5%) items with substantial agreement. Conclusions Virtual-STEPS is a reliable tool. Tools that measure the micro-scale environment are important because changing this environment could be a relatively cost-effective method of creating environments that are conducive to active living.

Adapting the SPOTLIGHT Virtual Audit Tool to assess food and activity environments relevant for adolescents: a validity and reliability study

“…In accordance with the hypothesis, the adapted S-VAT was found to provide reliable and valid data for most built environmental characteristics deemed relevant for PA and dietary behaviors in adolescents. The results are in agreement with previous research suggesting that virtual audit tools generally have adequate reliability and validity and are useful for assessing neighborhood characteristics [17,18,[51][52][53][54]. Slightly lower levels of agreement were observed by auditor 2.…”

Identificación de elementos del paisaje urbano que fomentan la caminata en Santiago

“…Por este motivo, estudios internacionales han analizado las variables físicoespaciales que facilitan o inhiben la caminata (Ewing & Cervero, 2001;Rodríguez & Joo, 2004;Stronegger, Titze & Oja, 2010;Valenzuela-Montes y Talavera-García, 2015;Zacharias, 2001). La mayoría de las investigaciones sobre caminata se han centrado en aspectos macro escalares (Arellana, Saltarín, Larrañaga, Alvarez & Henao, 2019, Steinmetz-Wood, Velauthapillai, O'Brien, & Ross, 2019, y han mostrado, por ejemplo, que variables como la densidad poblacional, la conectividad y la mixtura de usos influencian positivamente la disposición de la gente a caminar (Cervero & Kockelman, 1997;Dovey & Pafka, 2020;Ewing & Cervero, 2010;Leslie et al, 2005;Van Dyck et al, 2012). Asimismo, Rodríguez y Joo (2004) encontraron que la presencia de veredas y una topografía plana está fuertemente asociada a la elección de modos de desplazamiento no motorizados, especialmente la caminata.…”

Soviet Serial Apartment Buildings in Riga Historical Centre Streetscape. 1945–1990

“…Finally, complexity is estimated by 1) counting the visible buildings in the block; 2) counting basic and building accent colours separately; 3) noting the presence of outdoor dining; 4) counting pieces of public art, and 5) counting the number of people on the street while surveying it. Following the results of research on using digital tools like Google Street View [18] and GIS data [19] in streetscape quality measures it was decided to use these tools for the research. Mapping of the Soviet serial apartment buildings yielded 128 addresses and indicated areas of the biggest concentration, as well as variety.…”