Applying the AURIN Walkability Index at the Metropolitan and Local Levels by Sex and Age in Australia

Abstract

Apart from the ever-growing body of research aiming to develop novel walkability assessment tools, conducting systematic literature reviews on these planning support tools has been emerging as a new research theme in the field of urban analytics. While the walkability index of the Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN) has been used in several studies in the last decade, there is still a need for comprehensive application and correlation analyses of this tool at different geographical scales and with various socio-demographics and walking behaviours as covariates. To analyse the level of responsiveness of this tool, this study applies it at two different national and metropolitan scales comparing the walkability of 175 Local Government Areas in all States and Territories as well as 3047 neighbourhoods in the Greater Adelaide Metropolitan Area. Although the body of knowledge criticises using large units of analysis in the walkability assessments, the AURIN Walkability Index (AWI) is more representative at the national level. Furthermore, in each unit of analysis, the walk-to-work behaviour of females and the youngest age groups demonstrate the strongest associations with the walkability scores.