Modelling of urban green space walkability: Eco-friendly walk score calculator

Abstract

Walkability is a well-known count of how conducive an area is to walking to and from chosen destinations. Calculation of a walk score is widely used in accessibility studies to determine the ease or difficulty of travel by foot between one point and another. The main purpose of this paper is to propose an integrated methodology (Remote Sensing, GIS and Spatial Web Technology) to model urban green space walkability, which enables local residents to make informed decisions that will improve their living conditions and physical health related to the neighbourhood environmental quality. We discuss the modelling of urban green space walkability by utilising web-based Geographical Information System (web-GIS) to calculate eco-friendly walk scores based on the presence of green spaces by integrating Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) data and other GIS datasets. We use this spatial web technology to help local residents make decisions related to neighbourhood environmental quality, such as how to choose an eco-friendly living space when buying a home or how to find the shortest or greenest route to walk to improve their health. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.