Walkability Indicators in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Walkability indicators are a pivotal method to evaluate the role of the built environment in people’s decisions regarding active mobility, contributing to help promote more sustainable and equitable regions. Currently, there is a lack of literature describing the trends and findings from recent studies, and how research on this topic has responded to COVID-19. In this work, we apply the PRISMA methodology to perform a systematic literature review of studies that employed walkability indicators to uncover associations between walkability and different topics, such as physical activity, health and mobility, in the aftermath of the pandemic. Results show that the growth rate of studies in this period almost doubled compared to the three years prior to the outbreak. We explore the main subjects addressed in recent literature and found that most studies resorted to well-known indicators, predominantly to Walk Score®, while fewer works developed and applied new indicators. General findings point to a positive association between walkability and physical activity, overall health and active mobility. Moreover, in recent works, walkability’s relationship with environmental metrics is not clear and there is a lack of studies linking walkability indicators to COVID-19. More than two years after the worldwide outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, our work provides an effective resource for researchers to understand recent trends in studies employing walkability indicators.

One-Kilometer Walking Limit during COVID-19: Evaluating Accessibility to Residential Public Open Spaces in a Major Saudi City

“…The impact of COVID-19 on walkability is evident in the growth of publications related to walkability studies over the last three years. A recent systematic review shows that from 2019 to 2022, there was a 33% increase in publications that cover a wide range of walkability topics related to public health, urban characteristics, transportation, and socioeconomic aspects [35].…”

Correlation Between Neighborhood Built Environment and Leisure Walking Time Around a Riverside Park

“…Walking is a useful way to compensate for the lack of physical activity (Moreno et al, 2021; Rosi et al, 2021). Since the outbreak of COVID-19, people have become increasingly interested in walking in their neighborhoods, and many cities have improved their urban infrastructure to encourage walking (Frank et al, 2021; Jardim & de Castro Neto, 2022; Paydar & Kamani Fard, 2021b). As such, encouraging walking in urban planning trends, including the postpandemic era, has become an important goal in achieving healthy cities (Paydar & Kamani Fard, 2021b; Wan Mohd Rani et al, 2022).…”

The Quest for Proximity: A Systematic Review of Computational Approaches towards 15-Minute Cities

“…The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, in turn, prompted the need for creative and innovative ways for cities to pursue their economic operations while imposing rigorous health standards, providing one unexpected increase in interest toward achieving sustainability in cities [5]. The emergence of this pandemic revealed cities' vulnerability in their current configuration and the need for a radical rethinking, where inventive measures must be tailored to ensure that urban residents can cope and continue their essential activities [6][7][8]. Transitioning towards more accessible, connected, and inclusive urban environments is crucial for building safer, more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive cities, as portrayed in the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 11. The 15-minute city (FMC) concept consists of creating cities where all essential amenities, services, and opportunities are accessible within a 15-minute walk, bike ride, or public transportation ride from people's homes.…”