QUALITATIVE EVALUATION OF COMFORT NEEDS IN URBAN WALKWAYS IN MAJOR ACTIVITY CENTERS

This paper develops a method for the qualitative evaluation of comfort levels offered among walkways in major activity centers. A comfortable pedestrian circulation system within the street network is the focus. Healthy street circulation systems should offer choices for the movement of people, particularly for walking and bicycling modes. A comfortable environment makes a journey by foot pleasant and enjoyable. What are the attributes of comfort in a pedestrian circulation system? This paper develops an evaluation method by conducting qualitative explorations and drawing on existing literature along with examples of comfortable pedestrian spaces in the United States and Europe. Although there are other issues that are equally important for pedestrians, only the key attributes of comfort are used to qualitatively grade the physical, physiological and psychological comfort levels of walkways. This method involves two evaluation components: (1) service levels give standards for the overall desirable and undesirable comfort conditions at the macro level; and (2) quality levels look at finer details of comfort of pedestrians at the micro level. The method was tested in several streets in Philadelphia. It is suggested that the evaluation method is useful in providing analysis of the macro- and micro-level comfort conditions on the walkways, enabling professionals to assign priority for renovation and redesign of the surveyed streets, providing useful information to transit agencies, and generating information for geographic information system maps.

• Record URL:
  https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015058773691?urlappend=%3Bseq=597
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/7938948
• Corporate Authors:

  Eno Transportation Foundation

  1250 I Street, NW, Suite 750
  Washington, DC  United States  20005
• Authors:
  • Sarkar, S
• Publication Date: 2003

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 39-59
• Serial:
  • Transportation Quarterly
  • Volume: 57
  • Issue Number: 4
  • Publisher: Eno Transportation Foundation
  • ISSN: 0278-9434

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Activity centers; Comfort; Evaluation; Geographic information systems; Literature reviews; Pedestrian areas; Pedestrians; Physiological aspects; Planning and design; Psychological aspects; Streets; Transit riders; Urban areas; Walkways
• Geographic Terms: Philadelphia (Pennsylvania)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Passenger Transportation; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Society; Terminals and Facilities; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00966022
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Nov 17 2003 12:00AM