A novel framework to analyze the walkability of city centers

Abstract

Many studies utilized the ‘Walkability Index’ to measure the level of the walkability of cities predominately based on street conditions and road infrastructure availability while giving limited attention to factors such as urban morphological conditions and proximity to activities and services. Accordingly, this study develops a framework to measure walkability in the city centers’ by accessing the multidimensional aspects including walking conditions on streets, density, functional mix, accessibility, and proximity to services. The proposed framework was tested in 10 small and medium towns in Sri Lanka and quantified the level of their walkability. The city of Panadura becomes 1st in rank and Kaluthara, Gampaha, Moratuwa, Horana, Piliyandala, Homagama, Negombo, Bandaragama and Mathugama become 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th,7th,8th, 9th and 10th respectively according to this analysis. The study concludes that the proposed framework could be beneficial for transport planners, transport Engineers, and urban planners as they can effectively quantify the level of walkability in town centers.