The document discusses the concepts of walkability and sustainability. It defines walkability as a measurement of how pedestrian-friendly an area is. Walking provides environmental, economic, social and health benefits compared to other forms of transportation. Sustainability refers to systems and processes that can remain diverse and productive over time. Factors that influence walkability include connectivity, human scale, and amenities within walking distance. Walkability can be measured using indexes that consider sidewalk availability, pedestrian facilities, and the presence of parks, schools and other destinations within a mile.
3. BENEFITSOF
WALKING
Environmental Benefits
EconomicalBenefits
SocialBenefits
Health Benefits
Environmental Benefits
It is an alternative to car usage, it reduces air pollution, traffic congestion,
oil dependency, hence decreasing the emission of greenhouse gases
and, at a global level, slowing down climate change.
Studies have shown that automobile pollution is responsible for nearly 80 percent
of carbon monoxide and 55 percent nitrogen oxide emissions in the U.S.
By walking instead of driving, the reduction of traffic congestion, pollution are
significant while benefiting the walker by increasing their physical activity
level and mood.
Economical Benefits
Walking is an easy and affordable way to get exercise and people shouldn't
have to worry about the safety and accessibility of property sidewalks or
walkways.
The act of walking may benefit businesses such as high street retail,
restaurants, and tourism related activities.
People will be spending less money on their vehicle with maintenance, fuel, and
insurance.
By providing an easy and comfortable pedestrian oriented environment, it can pay
big dividends for area economic vitality and growth.
4. BENEFITSOF
WALKING
Environmental Benefits
EconomicalBenefits
SocialBenefits
Health Benefits
Social Benefits
Walking is increasing social capital, which is the connection between and
within social networks. By achieving this, people will get to know their
neighbours, gain trust and be socially engaged.
Social justice is another important benefit to walking.
(Not everyone owns a vehicle therefore they don't have the option to drive.)
It makes a safe place for adult and specifically children by decreasing number of
pedestrian injury through low speed running of vehicles.
It is increasing the number of pedestrians to makes a culture and an alert for drivers
to see the pedestrians more than before.
Health Benefits
Several health studies have established that walking leads to better mental and
physical health, being a moderate intensity physical activity that improves cardio-
vascular fitness and reduces stress.
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), walking at
least 30 minute per day decrease the level of obesity which makes risk for
cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, cancer, and higher amounts of
anxiety and depression for people.
6. There are no sidewalks; existing sidewalks are blocked or in poor repair.
There are access issues for people with physical disabilities.
Motorists drive too fast or do not yield to pedestrians.
Crossing the street is dangerous.
The community is not an inviting place to walk.
There is concern about crime and walking at night.
There isn't certain destinations within walking distance (i.e.: store, work).
Children can't walk to school.
Pedestrians act dangerously.
Why people don't walk…………………… ???
There are solutions to all of these perceptions but it is very clear that people have negative perceptions on walking.
However,Walkingensures
basicmobility,warrants
consumercostsavingsand
reduces externalcosts,allows
efficientlanduse,provides
liveabilitytocommunity,
improvesfitnessandpublic
health(heartdisease,
hypertension,stroke,diabetes,
obesity,osteoporosis,
depression,sometypesof
cancer)enhanceseconomic
development,andsupportsfor
equityforthecommunity.
7. How to get
people to
walk……..???
It needs to offer 4 things simultaneously:
A Proper reason to walk (Balance of user).
The walk has to be safe and feel safe (Reality and Perception).
The walk has to be comfortable (Space and Orientation).
TheWalk has to be interesting (Sign of Humanity).
8. What makes
a place
“walkable”….???
It is suggested that a typical pedestrian friendly street should include the
following elements:
Good interconnection of streets with small blocks model.
Narrower streets which are less favourable to vehicles speeds.
Well designed intersection to provide safe crossing.
Traffic calming to slow down vehicle speeds.
Wide and continuous sidewalk fully accessible with a proper maintenance.
Well-designed and marked crosswalks at intersections and where needed, and
at mid-block locations.
Appropriate use of signs and signals for both pedestrians and motorists.
Planting buffers with landscaping and street trees that provide shelter and
shade without obstructing sight distances..
Street lighting designed to pedestrian scale (e.g., shorter light poles and/or
lower light fixtures that are designed to be effective in illuminating the
pedestrian travel way).
Street furnishings and public art intended like benches, trash receptacles,
drinking fountains, and newspaper stands, which do not obstruct the
pedestrian way.
9. The 7C’s
A comprehensive list of 7 dimensions , that define a walking friendly environment:
Connectivity:The extent to which the pedestrian environment is linked;
interfaced; joined; attached; networked;
Convenience:The extent to which the pedestrian environment is appropriate;
useful; proper; suitable; time-saving;
Comfort:The extent to which the pedestrian environment is easy; pleasant;
protected; relaxed; sheltered; untroubled;
Conviviality:The extent to which the pedestrian environment is entertaining;
lively; pleasant; sociable;
Conspicuous:The extent to which the pedestrian environment is obvious; clear;
discernible; distinct; perceptible;
Coexistence:The extent to which the pedestrian and other transport modes can
exist at the same time and place with order and peace;
Commitment:The extent to which there exists engagement, liability and
responsibility towards the pedestrian environment.
10. InUrban
Design
Context
A number of urban design characteristics that were deemed to be
essential in order to define walkability.
Conceptual Framework
11. InUrban
Design
Context
Imageability: the quality of a place that makes it distinct, recognizable, and
memorable.
Legibility: refers to the ease with which the spatial structure of a place can be
understood and navigated as a whole.
Enclosure: refers to the degree to which streets and other public spaces are visually
defined by buildings, walls, trees, and other elements.
Human Scale: refers to a size, texture, and articulation of physical elements that
match the size and proportions of humans and, equally important, correspond to
the speed at which humans walk.
Transparency: refers to the degree to which people can see or perceive what lies
beyond the edge of a street or other public space and, more specifically, the degree
to which people can see or perceive human activity beyond the edge.
Linkage: refers to physical and visual connections from building to street, building
to building, space to space, or one side of the street to the other which tend to
unify disparate elements.
Complexity: refers to the visual richness of a place or the variety of the physical
environment.
Coherence: refers to a sense of visual order.
Above urban design qualities, that come from quantifiable physical features, and
impact both users’ reactions and overall walkability, are the following:
12. How to
measure the
walkability...???
As the definition said: “The extent to which the built environment is friendly
to the presence of people living, shopping, visiting, enjoying or spending
time in an area. ” The closer an area is to amenities, the more
“walkable” the area is.
In US, www.walkscore.com uses an algorithm to calculate an address’s
walkability. An area is given a score between 0 to 100 depending on the
number of amenities located within a one mile (or 1.6 kilometre) radius
from an address. Walk Score has included a list of amenities that improve a
location’s walk score.
• A Centre: Walkable neighborhoods have a center, whether it's a main
street or a public space.
• People: Enough people for businesses to flourish and for public transit to
run frequently.
• Parks and public space: Plenty of public places to gather and play.
• Pedestrian design: Buildings are close to the street, parking lots are
relegated to the back.
• Schools and workplaces: Close enough that most residents can walk from
their homes.
• Complete streets: Streets designed for bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit.
13. How to
measure the
walkability...???
A tool, called the Walkability Index, to measure the characteristics of the physical
environment that contribute to walkable (pedestrian-friendly, transit-supportive)
neighbourhood design.
Clean air initiative (2011) is an organization involved in finding the Walkability in
Asian cities. For a pedestrian survey, they have recommended the following
attributes to be considered:
i) Sidewalks/footpaths cleaner and wider
ii) Low traffic volume on road
iii) Obstacle free footpaths
iv) Increased crossing points
v) Effective street lighting
vi) Easy access for disabled persons
They also calculated the walk ability index in 30 major cities in India.The
average Walkability of India was reported as 52.The bestWalkability in the
country according to this ranking was in Chandigarh (92).
Walkability Index
14. Thewalkscoreisanumberbetween 00-
100.Belowarethegeneral guidelines to
evaluatethewalkscore:
90-100=walker’sparadise:owningacar
isn’tnecessary andmostoftheerrands can
bedonebywalking.
70-90=verywalkable;owningacarisn’t
important.
50-70=somewalkablelocations;some
amenities mightbeatawalkabledistance
buteverydayerrands mustrequireproper
transportationfacilities.
25-50=NotWalkable; onlyafew
destinations arewithineasywalking
range.Formosterrands,driving orpublic
transportationisamust.
0-25=Drivingonly;virtuallyno
neighborhooddestinations withinwalking
range.Youcanwalkfromyourhouseto
yourcar.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Shimla
Bhubneshwar
Gangtok
Panaji
Pondicherry
Hubli
Guwahati
Amritsar
Trivendram
Agra
Varanasi
Bikaner
Raipur
Madurai
Bhopal
Kochi
Kanpur
Patna
Banglore
Nagpur
Jaipur
Hyderabad
Surat
Chennai
Kolkata
Pune
Mumbai
Ahmedabad
Delhi
Chandigarh
Walkability of 30 cities in India
Series 1 Column1 Column2
15. Method of
calculating
Walkability
This method was developed by Ministry of Urban Road Development (MOUD),
Government of India.They especially developed this method based on the Indian
conditions.
According to this method, walk ability index is a function of availability of footpath
and pedestrian facility rating.
Walkability Index = [(W1 x Availability of footpath) + (w2 x Pedestrian
Facility rating)] - (1.1)
Where, w1 and w2 are weights (assumed 50% for both)
Availability of footpath = Footpath length / Length of major roads in the city - (1.2)
Pedestrian Facility Rating = Score estimated based on opinion on available
Pedestrian facility
Using this walk ability index, MOUD assessed the quality of pedestrian infrastructure across 30
cities in India and found an average index of 0.52.
The method considers the length of only those footpaths which are wider than 1.2m.The length
of the major roads in the city is calculated using the city plan or a tape or Google maps.