IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i16p10306-d892015.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Walkable Cities: Using the Smart Pedestrian Net Method for Evaluating a Pedestrian Network in Guimarães, Portugal

Author

Listed:
  • Fernando Fonseca

    (CTAC (Centre for Territory, Environment and Construction), University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal)

  • Escolástica Fernandes

    (CTAC (Centre for Territory, Environment and Construction), University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal)

  • Rui Ramos

    (CTAC (Centre for Territory, Environment and Construction), University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal)

Abstract

Evidence for the benefits of walking has attracted the attention of researchers and practitioners and encouraged them to develop healthier and more sustainable walkable cities. Many methods and approaches have been developed to measure walkability; namely, by using land use attributes. This paper examines the transferability of the Geographic Information System (GIS) based multi-criteria method developed in the Smart Pedestrian Net (SPN) research project to evaluate the level of walkability in a pedestrian network in Guimarães, Portugal. The method involves the assessment of 19 built environment and streetscape attributes, which were scored by a group of experts following the analytic hierarchy process. The method proved to be efficient in evaluating the pedestrian network and in mapping walkability in the study area. Around 65% of the street lengths scored above 0.60, indicating that the overall pedestrian conditions are favourable, with the best performance criteria being those related to accessibility and street connectivity. The method also allowed for the identification of different levels of walkability within the study area and the lack of a pedestrian network of highly scored streets. According to the results, the SPN method could be replicated in other cities to evaluate walkability and could be a useful planning tool to support policies towards developing more walkable cities.

Suggested Citation

  • Fernando Fonseca & Escolástica Fernandes & Rui Ramos, 2022. "Walkable Cities: Using the Smart Pedestrian Net Method for Evaluating a Pedestrian Network in Guimarães, Portugal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-23, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:16:p:10306-:d:892015
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/16/10306/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/16/10306/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Reid Ewing & Robert Cervero, 2010. "Travel and the Built Environment," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 76(3), pages 265-294.
    2. Andrea Rebecchi & Maddalena Buffoli & Marco Dettori & Letizia Appolloni & Antonio Azara & Paolo Castiglia & Daniela D’Alessandro & Stefano Capolongo, 2019. "Walkable Environments and Healthy Urban Moves: Urban Context Features Assessment Framework Experienced in Milan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-18, May.
    3. Grazia Salvo & Bonnie M. Lashewicz & Patricia K. Doyle-Baker & Gavin R. McCormack, 2018. "Neighbourhood Built Environment Influences on Physical Activity among Adults: A Systematized Review of Qualitative Evidence," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-21, May.
    4. Saelens, B.E. & Sallis, J.F. & Black, J.B. & Chen, D., 2003. "Neighborhood-Based Differences in Physical Activity: An Environment Scale Evaluation," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 93(9), pages 1552-1558.
    5. S. Hassan Ameli & Shima Hamidi & Andrea Garfinkel-Castro & Reid Ewing, 2015. "Do Better Urban Design Qualities Lead to More Walking in Salt Lake City, Utah?," Journal of Urban Design, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(3), pages 393-410, July.
    6. Christiansen, Petter & Engebretsen, Øystein & Fearnley, Nils & Usterud Hanssen, Jan, 2017. "Parking facilities and the built environment: Impacts on travel behaviour," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 198-206.
    7. Mona Jabbari & Fernando Fonseca & Rui Ramos, 2018. "Combining multi-criteria and space syntax analysis to assess a pedestrian network: the case of Oporto," Journal of Urban Design, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(1), pages 23-41, January.
    8. Fernando Alves & Sara Cruz & Sophia Rother & Tino Strunk, 2021. "An Application of the Walkability Index for Elderly Health—WIEH. The Case of the UNESCO Historic Centre of Porto, Portugal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-18, April.
    9. Fernando Fonseca & Elisa Conticelli & George Papageorgiou & Paulo Ribeiro & Mona Jabbari & Simona Tondelli & Rui Ramos, 2021. "Levels and Characteristics of Utilitarian Walking in the Central Areas of the Cities of Bologna and Porto," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-22, March.
    10. Boulange, Claire & Pettit, Chris & Gunn, Lucy Dubrelle & Giles-Corti, Billie & Badland, Hannah, 2018. "Improving planning analysis and decision making: The development and application of a Walkability Planning Support System," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 129-137.
    11. Samira Ramezani & Tiina Laatikainen & Kamyar Hasanzadeh & Marketta Kyttä, 2021. "Shopping trip mode choice of older adults: an application of activity space and hybrid choice models in understanding the effects of built environment and personal goals," Transportation, Springer, vol. 48(2), pages 505-536, April.
    12. Crispin H. V. Cooper & Ian Harvey & Scott Orford & Alain J. F. Chiaradia, 2021. "Using multiple hybrid spatial design network analysis to predict longitudinal effect of a major city centre redevelopment on pedestrian flows," Transportation, Springer, vol. 48(2), pages 643-672, April.
    13. Georgia Pozoukidou & Zoi Chatziyiannaki, 2021. "15-Minute City: Decomposing the New Urban Planning Eutopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-25, January.
    14. Ana Isabel Ribeiro & Elaine Hoffimann, 2018. "Development of a Neighbourhood Walkability Index for Porto Metropolitan Area. How Strongly Is Walkability Associated with Walking for Transport?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-10, December.
    15. Guibo Sun & Chris Webster & Xiaohu Zhang, 2021. "Connecting the city: A three-dimensional pedestrian network of Hong Kong," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 48(1), pages 60-75, January.
    16. Tarek Al Shammas & Francisco Escobar, 2019. "Comfort and Time-Based Walkability Index Design: A GIS-Based Proposal," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-22, August.
    17. Fernando Fonseca & George Papageorgiou & Simona Tondelli & Paulo Ribeiro & Elisa Conticelli & Mona Jabbari & Rui Ramos, 2022. "Perceived Walkability and Respective Urban Determinants: Insights from Bologna and Porto," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-19, July.
    18. Aditi Acharya & Biraj Kanti Mondal & Tuhin Bhadra & Kamal Abdelrahman & Prabuddh Kumar Mishra & Anuj Tiwari & Rima Das, 2022. "Geospatial Analysis of Geo-Ecotourism Site Suitability Using AHP and GIS for Sustainable and Resilient Tourism Planning in West Bengal, India," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-25, February.
    19. Byoung-Suk Kweon & Jody Rosenblatt-Naderi & Christopher D. Ellis & Woo-Hwa Shin & Blair H. Danies, 2021. "The Effects of Pedestrian Environments on Walking Behaviors and Perception of Pedestrian Safety," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-14, August.
    20. Diaz-Sarachaga, Jose Manuel & Jato-Espino, Daniel & Castro-Fresno, Daniel, 2017. "Methodology for the development of a new Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System for Developing Countries (SIRSDEC)," Environmental Science & Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 65-72.
    21. Otsuka, Noriko & Wittowsky, Dirk & Damerau, Marlene & Gerten, Christian, 2021. "Walkability assessment for urban areas around railway stations along the Rhine-Alpine Corridor," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    22. Andrew Clark & Darren Scott & Nikolaos Yiannakoulias, 2014. "Examining the relationship between active travel, weather, and the built environment: a multilevel approach using a GPS-enhanced dataset," Transportation, Springer, vol. 41(2), pages 325-338, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Olivia Psara & Fernando Fonseca & Olympia Nisiforou & Rui Ramos, 2023. "Evaluation of Urban Sustainability Based on Transportation and Green Spaces: The Case of Limassol, Cyprus," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-18, July.
    2. Michael W. Mehaffy & Nikos A. Salingaros & Alexandros A. Lavdas, 2023. "The “Modern” Campus: Case Study in (Un)Sustainable Urbanism," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-37, November.
    3. Natalia Distefano & Salvatore Leonardi & Nilda Georgina Liotta, 2023. "Walking for Sustainable Cities: Factors Affecting Users’ Willingness to Walk," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-18, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Fernando Fonseca & George Papageorgiou & Simona Tondelli & Paulo Ribeiro & Elisa Conticelli & Mona Jabbari & Rui Ramos, 2022. "Perceived Walkability and Respective Urban Determinants: Insights from Bologna and Porto," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-19, July.
    2. Ivan Blečić & Tanja Congiu & Giovanna Fancello & Giuseppe Andrea Trunfio, 2020. "Planning and Design Support Tools for Walkability: A Guide for Urban Analysts," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-18, May.
    3. Guan, Xiaodong & Wang, Donggen, 2019. "Influences of the built environment on travel: A household-based perspective," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 710-724.
    4. Shima Hamidi & Somayeh Moazzeni, 2019. "Examining the Relationship between Urban Design Qualities and Walking Behavior: Empirical Evidence from Dallas, TX," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-14, May.
    5. Fernando Fonseca & Elisa Conticelli & George Papageorgiou & Paulo Ribeiro & Mona Jabbari & Simona Tondelli & Rui Ramos, 2021. "Levels and Characteristics of Utilitarian Walking in the Central Areas of the Cities of Bologna and Porto," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-22, March.
    6. Eun Jung Kim & Suin Jin, 2023. "Walk Score and Neighborhood Walkability: A Case Study of Daegu, South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-12, February.
    7. Marie Geraldine Herrmann-Lunecke & Cristhian Figueroa-Martínez & Francisca Parra Huerta & Rodrigo Mora, 2022. "The Disabling City: Older Persons Walking in Central Neighbourhoods of Santiago de Chile," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-19, September.
    8. Singleton, Patrick A. & Park, Keunhyun & Lee, Doo Hong, 2021. "Varying influences of the built environment on daily and hourly pedestrian crossing volumes at signalized intersections estimated from traffic signal controller event data," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    9. Regine Gerike & Caroline Koszowski & Bettina Schröter & Ralph Buehler & Paul Schepers & Johannes Weber & Rico Wittwer & Peter Jones, 2021. "Built Environment Determinants of Pedestrian Activities and Their Consideration in Urban Street Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-21, August.
    10. Kevin Credit & Elizabeth Mack, 2019. "Place-making and performance: The impact of walkable built environments on business performance in Phoenix and Boston," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 46(2), pages 264-285, February.
    11. Xiaoquan Wang & Chunfu Shao & Chaoying Yin & Chengxiang Zhuge & Wenjun Li, 2018. "Application of Bayesian Multilevel Models Using Small and Medium Size City in China: The Case of Changchun," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-15, February.
    12. Lingzhu Zhang & Yu Ye & Wenxin Zeng & Alain Chiaradia, 2019. "A Systematic Measurement of Street Quality through Multi-Sourced Urban Data: A Human-Oriented Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-24, May.
    13. Natalia Distefano & Salvatore Leonardi & Nilda Georgina Liotta, 2023. "Walking for Sustainable Cities: Factors Affecting Users’ Willingness to Walk," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-18, March.
    14. Bartzokas-Tsiompras, Alexandros & Bakogiannis, Efthimios & Nikitas, Alexandros, 2023. "Global microscale walkability ratings and rankings: A novel composite indicator for 59 European city centres," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    15. Zimu Jia & Long Chen & Jingjia Chen & Guowei Lyu & Ding Zhou & Ying Long, 2020. "Urban modeling for streets using vector cellular automata: Framework and its application in Beijing," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 47(8), pages 1418-1439, October.
    16. Neatt, Kevin & Millward, Hugh & Spinney, Jamie, 2017. "Neighborhood walking densities: A multivariate analysis in Halifax, Canada," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 9-16.
    17. Mohammad Hamed Abdi & Ali Soltani, 2022. "Which Fabric/Scale Is Better for Transit-Oriented Urban Design: Case Studies in a Developing Country," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-22, June.
    18. Zhou, You & Zhang, Lingzhu & JF Chiaradia, Alain, 2022. "Estimating wider economic impacts of transport infrastructure Investment: Evidence from accessibility disparity in Hong Kong," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 220-235.
    19. Bojing Liao & Yifan Xu & Xiang Li & Ji Li, 2022. "Association between Campus Walkability and Affective Walking Experience, and the Mediating Role of Walking Attitude," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-13, November.
    20. Mona Jabbari & Zahra Ahmadi & Rui Ramos, 2022. "Defining a Digital System for the Pedestrian Network as a Conceptual Implementation Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-11, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:16:p:10306-:d:892015. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.