The Impact of Urban Design on Utilitarian and Leisure Walking—The Relative Influence of Street Network Connectivity and Streetscape Features

Abstract

Road network connectivity determines the accessibility of urban activities for pedestrians, while streetscape characteristics have an impact on route attractiveness. Methods used to measure the influence of connectivity and streetscape characteristics on walking behavior differ substantially, while trip purpose is a key factor. This paper explores the respective contributions of network connectivity and streetscape features to explain leisure walking and utilitarian trips on 740 street segments in Santarém (Portugal). The indicators cover the most commonly used factors in walkability indexes, such as density, diversity, design, and accessibility. The streetscape features measure imageability, enclosure, human scale, transparency, and complexity. The walking trip information was collected via survey. The results show that connectivity measures have a greater overall explanatory power for both trip motives. However, the findings highlight the need to consider a variety of design indicators to explain walking behavior due to the higher explanation power of the model with two types of indicators.

Keywords

• mobility
• design
• connectivity
• streetscape features
• walkability