Understanding Walkability Criteria in High-density Communities: A Case Study in Alexandria, Egypt

Abstract

Walkabilit y has recently been a major topic and an essent ial attribute in the sustainabilit y approach to urban design and planning. St udying urban dimensions and qualit ies in a specific context is essent ial to developing walkabilit y criteria, as each environment has its condit ions and spat ial scale that affects walkabilit y scenarios differently. This paper st udies the main criteria contribut ing to successful walkable environments in high-densit y communit ies. The methodology consists of developing detailed walkabilit y criteria by st udying urban qualit ies related to three dimensions: morphological/visual, funct ional, and social. Each urban qualit y is analyzed by stat ing its definit ion, assessment method and st udying its condit ion in high-densit y communit ies. The assessment methods are based on quant itat ive and qualitat ive indicators depending on the nat ure of the criteria, which include imageabilit y, transparency, scale of enclosure, complexit y, connect ivit y, land use mix, legibilit y, as well as pedestrian comfort and safet y. Providing tools to upgrade walkabilit y in a cit y like Alexandria in Egypt is another object ive of this st udy. Walkabilit y criteria are tested on a t ypical cit y center street where buildings of every age and condit ion are mingled, and which is similar to many other Alexandria streets, thus, the results and recommendat ions can contribute to enhancing the walkabilit y of everyday streets in the cit y.