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Walkability: to quantify or not to quantify
Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability (2015)
  • William W Riggs, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Abstract
Academics and policy makers have developed quantitative approaches to judging how conducive a location is to walking. This has resulted in new terms like “walkability,” and the trademarked industry term Walk Score has entered the lexicon because of www.walkscore.com. The website rates one place against another, implying that some areas are a “walker’s paradise” and others are not. Some believe that the Walk Score provides a direct and replicable method to benchmark or measure walkability. While as a metric walkability indices typically use three key factors (proximity to goods and services, population dynamics and the concentration of street intersections, i.e. connectivity), some propose a more expansive view of walkability based on both quantitative and qualitative factors (Riggs 2011, 2014).
Publication Date
Winter November 23, 2015
Citation Information
William W Riggs. "Walkability: to quantify or not to quantify" Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability (2015)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/williamriggs/51/