Spatial quality assessment of the pedestrian's environment using online digital tools

Abstract

Tourist cities, in addition to offering places of attraction, must have quality spaces, with pedestrian-oriented infrastructure to ensure comfort, safety, accessibility, among other aspects that contribute to increasing local attractiveness. However, for this to happen, it is necessary that these cities know the reality of the pedestrian-oriented infrastructure available, through accurate surveys, which can be done on site and/or through online digital tools. In this context, this paper shows results from a study on the quality of pedestrian infrastructure on an important avenue in the tourist city of Barra Bonita, a city in the Midwest of São Paulo. The methodology incorporated the use of the spatial quality index of the pedestrian environment (IQEAP), developed by TONON (2019), and the virtual tools of Google Earth and Street View. The analysis of the results showed that the evaluated area has "Regular" IQEAP and, therefore, needs improvements in aspects involving the three pedestrian environment plans aimed at the pedestrian scale. The results also show negative aspects in relation to the virtual form of data survey (technical audit), which is not very accurate due to the dates of the images, absence of precision tools, and low image resolution. However, significant positive aspects can be highlighted, such as the reduction of survey time on site (in situ), and the use of fewer financial resources. Thus, this method can facilitate the survey of data in places of difficult geographical access, dispersed, large or distant areas, and thus become an innovative and practical option.