Measuring Walkability Better Air Quality 2010 Shreya Gadepalli Chris Kost Halak Bhatt

Essential elements for Walkability Traffic Safety Along the street When crossing Physical Comfort Continuity of footpath Tree shade Convenience Shopping/Food Places to halt/sit Personal comfort/safety Eyes on the street Engaging environment

Walkability – A quantitative approach Aim of surveys To support the local government to improve the quality of pedestrian facilities, enhance pedestrian access and create public space Elements surveyed Pedestrian counts Footpath condition Pedestrian crossings Seating/Resting spots Shops/vendors Access – Directness of path

Counts Pedestrians Moving pedestrians Stationary pedestrians People per hour per direction Percentage of street users Stationary pedestrians Active (Shopping/Eating) Inactive (Sitting/Waiting) Shops/Vendors Formal Shops Eateries/100m Other shops/100m Informal/Street vendors Others vendors/100m Seating Public seating (units/100m) Informal (instances/100m) Shop owned (chairs/100m)

Footpath – Crossings Footpath width Total width (m) Usable width (m) Percentage of street width Footpath length Quick fix elements Cleaning required (%*/units) Mobile obstructions (%*/units) Investment elements Broken/non-existing (%*/units) Fixed encroachments (%*/units) Shaded (m/%*) * As percentage of total linear meters of footpath Crossings Formal crossings (X@Y m) Informal crossings (X@Y m) Street width to be crossed at one go (m) Waiting time to cross (sec)

Case study – Surat station precinct

Mapping Segment ID Right of Way Zones A B

Sample results – Footpath condition Footpath width Footpath constructed width 1A – 2m Footpath usable width 1A – 1m Edge to edge street width – 36m Percentage usable footpath - 6% Footpath length Cleaning required –33% Mobile obstructions –31 instances Broken/non-existing –38%-17locations Fixed encroachment–35%-9locations 1A 1B *Segment length – 480m

Sample results – Crossings/Seating Formal pedestrian crossing – 1 Informal crossing – 3@160m) Waiting time to cross street – 34sec Seating Public - 4 Informal - 2 Vendor - 9 1A 1B

Framing the situation politically

Documenting improvements 84% increase in stationary activities 26% more leave offices for breaks

Walkability and land use

Walkability and land use

Large block (1.6km perimeter), exclusive land use Average distance to shopping ~ 2km Average distance to public transport ~ 1km

Small-block (250m perimeter) | mixed land use Average distance to shopping ~ 0 km! Average distance to public transport ~ 0.2 km

Street Design Manual A guide for cities to adopt

Reality

Traditional footpath design 2.25 2 2.5 10.5

Appropriate footpath design 2 3 7.5 3.25 2

Institute for Transportation & Development Policy is an international not-for-profit organization that is a leader in promoting environmentally sustainable and socially equitable transportation worldwide Key Program Areas Investing in modern, attractive public transit systems, specifically bus rapid transit, to provide a higher quality of life in cities Making streets safer and more convenient for cyclists and pedestrians, improving the quality of affordable non-motorized vehicles, and promoting bike use Reducing air pollution, congestion, and CO2 emissions by reducing private car use through parking regulations, access management, and road user charging Reinforcing urban centers by encouraging pedestrian-oriented real estate development, urban design, and public space management Ensuring necessary funding is available for sustainable transport projects.

Beyond survival needs, there are HAPPINESS NEEDS. We are pedestrians. We need to walk, not in order to survive, but to be happy.