Towards Better Cities: Improving Walkability in Terms of Seven Principles.

Abstract

Walking has always been one of the basic transportation techniques in the world. Inthe middle of the second half of the 20th century, automatic methods weredeveloped, especially private cars. A state of excessive dependence on mechanicaltransportation has been advanced. More recently, the idea of revitalizing walking asone of the urban mobility ways has begun to increase. Both research and practicework is currently looking for ways of urban rehabilitation to encourage people to gowalking and cycling. Indeed walkability is essential in implementing sustainable urbanplanning; it helps to connect the community while providing alternatives toautomotive transport. Walkability has been studied on various levels, various places,and with regards to concepts and factors. Thus this paper aims to study walkabilitythrough answering four questions: what, why, how and where? In other words, whatis walkability? Why is it beneficial? How could it be implemented in terms ofrehabilitation of urban areas? And where is it used? Considering a presented casestudy in in San Francisco, U.S.A, and another one in Sheikh Zayed, Egypt. The studyinvestigates some key principles that may help improve walkability in communities.The results stress the implementation of seven key principles that guarantee thesuccess of walking and its positive impacts in urban areas.