Influence of neighborhood environment attributes on the walkability of university students

Abstract

Identification and mainstreaming of walkabilityencouraging factors in micro-environments such as university surroundings are equally important as macro environments, in the pathway of sustainable urban development. This research investigated the influence of the neighborhood environment on the off-campus walkability of university students. A framework has developed based on neighborhood environmental attributes (4) and elements (18), which were identified through a comprehensive literature review and adjusted to compete in the tropical, developing context. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected through field observations and a structured questionnaire survey (n = 372), which was conducted at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Colombo, Sri Lanka. A regression model was developed based on the framework. Among 372 total responses acquired, the road is safe from crime, the road is full of people, and the functionality of the road, and the availability of the local shops are identified as the most significant motivations and are strongly correlated with the walkability. The findings of this study could support to define walkability framework as a model that can be adopted in pedestrian planning in other city campuses and will promote walkability.