Measuring Neighborhood Walkability Using Detour Factor Distributions

Abstract

The walk-friendliness of an area can be assessed by using network connectivity indicators, linking pedestrian activity to the city structure. Route directness, expressed in the form of detour factors, is a particularly promising alternative to conventional connectivity parameters, offering a more straightforward measurement of walkability. In this paper, a method is proposed to calculate the detour factors between all pairs of pedestrian origin and destination points in a neighborhood, including residences, public transport stops, and other points of interest. The method is applied to four urban neighborhoods in Switzerland, which act as case studies. The results show that different types of neighborhoods can be identified by their detour factor distributions and that directness-based parameters compare favorably with conventional indicators. Thus, detour factor distributions can be used as an adequate and direct measure for neighborhood walkability. The feasibility of the developed method for network improvement is demonstrated by using a case example.