Indicators for sustainable pedestrian mobility

Abstract

Pedestrians walk everyday to satisfy their basic necessities. They need an environment that reflects their requirements and expectations, in other words "liveable" as much as possible. So we should offer tools that could allow a complete and clear evaluation of the existing walking environment, taking into account both pedestrian requirements and urban environment schemes. To measure pedestrian mobility performance we usually use indicators, which measure performances and grant a quick estimation of progress. Indicators are universally acknowledged synthetic and standard parameters that should help policy makers gauge whether things are going in the right direction or not. They should be outcome measures, rather than inputs, and they should capture broad results. The advantage of using indicators is to recognize the quality of urban mobility through economical and social view of an environment. The aim of this paper is to estimate and compare pedestrian mobility indicators, evaluating their value in relation to the quality of walking environment. It is important to analyze all the aspects that make it possible to clarify a definition of "sustainable pedestrian mobility". Their analysis has to be related to the individuation of a set of indicators that simultaneously take into account the users' needs and allow the complete comparison between different urban pedestrian mobility strategies policies. Variables such as visual attractiveness, comfort, system continuity, safety, security, accessibility and infrastructure quality of urban walking pathways are taken into account in our analysis. Finally, we analyze the generalized role that the proposed set of indicators could play in sustainable urban and transport development and planning, even in different economic social and urban contexts.

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Resilience of Sustainable Mobility in Sicily

“…Likewise, the use of the bicycle, in addition to the physical and mental benefits, allows a strong reduction of pollution and the possibility to carry some things with you even in small quantities [88]. The interviewees also agree that there will be a greater approach to micromobility, and this is rewarded by state incentives but also the desire to move individually [89]. In accordance with the strategies of many nations, the population is in favor of keeping work from home although there are problems related to the management of the family and children often in small spaces [90].…”

A GIS-based method for evaluating the walkability of a pedestrian environment and prioritised investments

“…Degradation and poor cleaning make pedestrian routes less secure (there have been numerous lawsuits regarding accidents caused by a poor state of sidewalk maintenance, and Italian municipalities have faced high costs), less attractive, and in some cases, impassable, particularly for certain categories of pedestrians (Amoroso et al, 2011). Litter on the sidewalks affects the route choices of pedestrians because the neighbourhood may be perceived as a run-down area (Amoroso et al, 2012).…”

“…Pedestrian needs and the manner in which an urban environment is able to respond to these needs depend on several factors (Amoroso et al, 2012), such as the lifestyle factors (age, gender, physical and mental abilities, level of education, state of employment, car ownership, and place of residence), climate and landscape (temperature, rain, humidity, wind, obstacles, and slope), land use (points of interest, street furniture, location of schools, and workplaces), and the characteristics of a transportation system (access to public transport, cost, and inter-modality). For these reasons, some audits and questionnaires have been applied to determine what influences walkability factors have on the perception of a pedestrian environment and the propensity to walk based on specific categories of pedestrians, namely school-aged children (Christiansen et al, 2014), elderly people (Moniruzzaman and Pàez, 2016), and people with physical disabilities.…”

Design Criteria of Modern Shopping Centre Building Based on Public Pedestrian Space

“…Walking indeed can be considered as the most basic form of transport (Amoroso, Castellucio, Maritano, 2012), for the following reasons: a. It is universal.…”

“…They are related to functionality, aesthetics, practice, and safety (Figure 1). It should be that these categories of indicators which are further broken down into elements and performance measures (Amoroso, Castellucio, Maritano, 2012).…”