PLACE LOGIC and the Urban Design Studies Unit (UDSU) at the University of Strathclyde are engaged in a Knowledge Transfer Partnership funded by Innovate UK to develop a walkability index that not only accounts for the ease of access to everyday amenities and services, but also for aspects of the built environment, including urban form, greenery and thermal comfort. At the outset of this project a literature review was undertaken to understand the definitions, methodologies, and research gaps that needed to be addressed. Here we present a brief summary of this literature review which is titled ‘Walkability Indices—The State of the Art and Future Directions: A Systematic Review’ and can be accessed from MDPI.
Since the late 1980s, the idea of the compact city—a city organised around dense centres connected through a network of sociable public spaces—has emerged as a key aspect of designing sustainable cities through the placemaking approach. In placemaking, a walkable area is defined not just by the volume of foot traffic, but by specific spatial qualities that encourage pedestrian activity in public spaces. These qualities are a mix of factors including mobility, the diversity of land uses, and urban form. Urban form relates to the physical features and spatial organization of plots, buildings, and streets that shape the overall structure of cities and towns. It is understood that areas with medium to high building densities, with a variety of building types which are part of a well-connected street network are likely to attract more pedestrians.
The focus on qualities that foster sociable spaces was a relatively new development at the time. Placemaking emerged as a counterpoint to the abstract, theory-driven approaches promoted by the Congrès Internationaux d‘Architecture Moderne (CIAM) in the 1930s. Within CIAM’s framework, walkability was viewed from a purely functional perspective: pedestrians were treated as just another component of mobility, similar to cars, and were therefore confined to designated spaces. In contrast, placemaking emphasises that public spaces, especially streets, are not just for mobility but are also, and perhaps primarily, spaces for public life. However, many existing walkability indices often fail to properly account for the morphological structure of walkable places. Our recent literature review explores these indices, examining to what extent they move beyond catchment areas to amenities and consider the relationship between walkability and urban form, and suggests possible directions for developing the next generation of these indices.
