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These studies suggest that enhancing green facilities, street greenery, landscape diversity, and microscale environmental attributes can promote walking behaviors and create pedestrian-friendly, healthy streets.
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Urban greenspaces, including street greenery, have a significant impact on walking behaviors. Research from Hong Kong demonstrates that both street greenery and the number of parks are associated with higher odds of walking. Interestingly, street greenery, rather than parks, is more strongly associated with total walking time, suggesting that the presence of greenery at eye level can encourage more prolonged walking activities. This finding is supported by studies in other regions, which also highlight the importance of street-level greenery in promoting walking, especially among older adults.
Microscale streetscape features, such as street design, transit stops, sidewalk qualities, and street crossing amenities, play a crucial role in influencing walking behaviors. A study using the Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes (MAPS) found that these features are significantly associated with walking and biking for transportation across various age groups. The study emphasizes that aesthetic variables, such as street greenery, are particularly related to leisure walking and neighborhood physical activity. This underscores the importance of detailed streetscape audits in understanding and enhancing walkability.
The perception of the street environment significantly affects walking behaviors. Research indicates that people look for not only safety and comfort but also usefulness, a sense of belonging, and pleasurability in their walking environments. These social qualities are essential in supporting walking behaviors, suggesting that urban designers should integrate user perceptions and subjective measures into their planning to create more walkable streets.
Street-level factors, such as pavement quality, mixed land uses, and the presence of handrails and benches, are crucial for promoting walking, especially among older adults. These factors can either complicate or support outdoor mobility, depending on their condition and design. For instance, uneven pavements and steps can hinder walking, while well-maintained sidewalks and supportive infrastructure like benches can encourage it. The use of computer vision to quantify these factors from street view images has shown that streetscape factors can significantly contribute to explaining walking mode choice, often more so than neighborhood-level factors.
The relationship between walking behaviors and street landscapes is multifaceted, involving both objective environmental attributes and subjective perceptions. Street-level greenery, microscale streetscape features, and the overall design and maintenance of pedestrian environments are all critical in promoting walking. Urban planners and designers should consider these factors to create pedestrian-friendly environments that encourage walking and enhance the overall quality of urban life.
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