Operationalizing Walkability:Pilot Study for a New Composite Walkability Index Based on Walker Perception

摘要

The major goal of this research is to explore a way of operationalizing micro-level, path-basedwalkability. This pilot research develops a new method for measuring micro-level walkability in acomprehensive and objective way and also for statistically integrating a multiple number ofwalkability measurement variables based on walker perception. The final outcome is a new formulafor composite walkability index. A case study was done in the downtown Mountain View station areain 2005. Two different surveys - a walker perception survey and detailed street measurement - wereconducted. A walker perception survey was conducted with 68 transit walkers who walked to thestation. This on-board survey asked them to score their own walking routes. Based on the routesidentified by the survey, 160 street segments were selected and measured. For each segment, 30 streetelements were measured on foot by using a two-page survey instrument. This research created acomposite walkability index by statistically matching the perception score from the surveyrespondents and the objective street measurement from their own walking routes to the station. Aseries of multiple regression models were conducted, and the results were integrated into a finalformula that can yield a composite walkability score for each street segment or one's walking route.