ab-walkable Cities A Grid-Based Analysis Method to Identify Walkable Neighborhoods for Goal-Directed Pedestrians

Current research treats walkability in cities as an urban asset, to be identified by formal methods in order to let people benefit from it. In this paper, we take an activity-based view on the subject, arguing that walkability is not an end in itself but must always be seen from the standpoint of a specific activity to be performed. More precisely, we look at the specific walkability when seeking to perform an activity 'a' (e.g. shopping) within a given time budget 'b' (e.g. 15 minutes). Based on these two factors, we have devised a grid-based analysis method that computes transitions between grid cells. As result, we get a walkability map that extends the traditional 'proximity-based' understanding of neighborhoods by the notion of goal-directed pedestrians. To argue for the applicability of our approach, we showcase i it in two cities with different urban structure (Yerevan and Wiener Neustadt) before concluding.