Sustainable Transportation and Policy Development: A Study for Impact Analysis of Mobility Patterns and Neighborhood Assessment of Walking Behavior

Abstract

Since rapid growth and car-oriented patterns became a global threat and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) levels are advancing, strategies to redesign the built environment into healthier spaces have gained importance. Walkability plays a central role in this context. However, the literature is dominated by studies from western industrialized countries. In this paper, we employed structural equational modeling to analyze perceptual data collected from different neighborhoods of Muscat. We compared the responses regarding environmental attributes to the frequency of walking for transport. We found that land use mix combined with low residential density are the factors that have the highest impact on pedestrian activity. Conversely, the estimates of the pedestrian infrastructure were surprisingly low, suggesting that, in car dominant societies, walking perceptions are affected by drivers’ perspectives.

Mobility and Urban Centralities: An Analysis Based on the Motorized Flows Attraction in Belo Horizonte/State of Minas Gerais/Brazil

“…In 2002, 43% of the Campos studied displayed flows directed to the CA of Belo Horizonte, and this percentage increased to 90% in 2012. In this sense, Figure 4c indicates that in 94% of the Campos studied in the decade presented a reduction of ARCA, endorsing the hypothesis of a polynucleate city, suggested by [21,55,61]. It is important to observe that this analysis was made for the internal rides of the Capital only, a choice justified by the prevalence of the internal flows previously observed.…”

“…As may be observed in Figure 4a, in 2002 there was a predominant displacement to CA (ARCA > 1): approximately 57% of the Campos studied presented flows mainly directed to CBD of the Capital. 4c indicates that in 94% of the Campos studied in the decade presented a reduction of AR CA, endorsing the hypothesis of a polynucleate city, suggested by [21,55,61]. It is important to observe that this analysis was made for the internal rides of the Capital only, a choice justified by the prevalence of the internal flows previously observed.…”

“…Moreover, it is considered a guide to promote changes and contribute with more efficient, safe, and sustainable solutions. In this sense, the diversity of land use, the densification, and pedestrian-friendly development have stressed the agenda of the new urbanism [20,21] as a mechanism for discussions involving the practices of sustainable urban mobility and their many benefits [21,22]. According to [23], though the concept of sustainability has become part of a political discourse [24], the sustainable urban mobility is still an unresolved question, no more than an unaccomplished promise.…”

“…The relation between urban structure and transport is studied by [21] and summarized by [25], who considers it "(...) difficult to get to know urban transports without a previous study of the urban structure on which they will be developed". The relations between transport and the space produced may be studied in different scales.…”

Walkability and Its Relationships With Health, Sustainability, and Livability: Elements of Physical Environment and Evaluation Frameworks

“…The perception of road safety influences the levels of walking and cycling in the community, particularly among the elderly and children. The presence of appropriate well-designed walking and crossing facilities can encourage pedestrians to walk (Sisiopiku and Akin, 2003;Timperio et al, 2004;Giles-Corti et al, 2011) Pedestrian safety in the context of built environment, as per a top down conceptual top-down framework introduced by Siqueira et al (2021), is determined on three scales, first in the development scale: density, urban sprawl and expansion, and regional development describes the development patterns and urban planning requirements. Secondly on the local scale: the roadway design and pedestrian infrastructure, including signs and crossing markings.…”