Urban Design Qualities Related Walkability in a Commercial Neighbourhood

Abstract

This study explored the relations of urban design qualities, the adaptability and people’s preference for walking on a commercial street. The research employed survey research method using a self-administered questionnaire applying Likert scale and multiple rating scale techniques. One hundred and three respondents participated in the study. Descriptive statistics and correlations analysis were used to answer the research questions. Results indicated the adaptability quality of a street may depend on the spatial quality of the street such as legibility, human scale, coherence, and imageability while it does not correlate with the appearance of the street such as transparency, complexity, and enclosure. Meanwhile, people’s preference of a street for walking may depend on both qualities. Implications of the findings will discuss further in the paper.© 2016. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.Keywords:Urban Design Qualities; Walkability; Commercial Neighbourhood; Adaptability

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