Application of Walkability Index for Older Adults’ Health in the Brazilian Context: The Case of Vitória-ES, Brazil

Abstract

This study follows up on the article ‘Walkability Index for Elderly Health: A Proposal’, published in 2020, as well its validation in the Historic Center of Porto, published in 2021. The 2020 article presented the theoretical and methodological bases relating qualities of public spaces, the walkability of older adults, and the direct benefits on health. The 2021 article validated the applicability of the index in the Historic Center of Porto, Portugal. Both articles incorporated the factor ‘slope’, solving a criticism evidenced in related literature about the slope being ignored in older adults’ walking conditions studies. The present study, however, aims to validate the conceptual design of the Walkability Index for Elderly Health (WIEH) in the Brazilian context at the historic center of Vitória. The methodology included the analysis and evaluation of public spaces regarding the pedestrian network—urban fabric, urban scene, and safety—and the presence of slopes and/or stairways. Subsequently, these spaces were classified according to the WIEH, ascertaining their level of adequacy for older adults’ walkability. The results show that paths friendly to older adults are rare and that the problems encountered focus primarily on the low quality of the pedestrian network and not on the existence of slopes and stairways.