The Opportunity
Local authorities sought an evidence-based understanding of Banbury’s walkability to inform planning, identify strengths and weaknesses in the urban fabric, and support future decision-making.
Our Contribution
We carried out a detailed analysis of the street network using Route Connectivity (Fig 1), calculated accessibility to amenities (Fig 2), evaluated urban form (Fig 3), and combined these into clear sub-indices and an overall Walkability Index (Fig 4).
The Outcome
The study revealed a mismatch between neighbourhood facilities and well-connected streets, highlighted the strengths of Banbury’s historic areas, and showed that later suburban expansions have resulted in less walkable, disconnected environments (Fig 5).
Fig 1
Route connectivity for Banbury and its surrounding context represented by a gradient from red (highest) to blue (lowest).
Fig 2
Accessibility score for Banbury and its surrounding context represented by a gradient from red (highest) to blue (lowest).
Fig 3
Urban form score for Banbury and its surrounding context represented by a gradient from red (highest) to blue (lowest).
Fig 4
Walkability Index for Banbury and its surrounding context represented by a gradient from red (highest) to blue (lowest).
Fig 5
Most and least walkable streets in Banbury and its surrounding context.