A Walkability Index including Pedestrians’ Perception of Built Environment: The Case Study of Milano Rogoredo Station

Abstract

Active modes can play a key role in the transition toward sustainable urban mobility, and transport systems should be designed to support and incentivize them. For instance, walking accessibility to main urban centralities is a factor to pay attention to, as well as the way in which pedestrians perceive the characteristics of the infrastructure and the surrounding environment should also be considered. This study proposes a method for computing a walkability index of the paths for accessing transport nodes (e.g., railway station). The index is based on individuals’ perception of walkable infrastructure features (e.g., kerbside width, presence of urban furniture, greenery, etc.). It allows having a more realistic view of the catchment area of the node and to identify policies for improving pedestrian accessibility. The method has been validated using an ad-hoc survey in the area of the Milano Rogoredo railway station (Italy). The map of the estimated walkability indexes is consistent with the real conditions of the Milano Rogoredo neighbourhood and allows for identifying those areas where walkability can be improved.