Development of a Walkability Index in Support of Urban Planning Decision-Making

By 2030, cities will be home for more than 60% of the global population. In the drive for sustainability, the challenges facing urban planning will be particularly important. In this regard, walking emerges as a powerful tool. Walkable environments offer social, economic, and environmental benefits, but pedestrian mobility is often overlooked in urban infrastructure investments. Differently than the classical conception of “accessibility”, “walkability” adds new emphasis on spatial quality and the capacity of the environment to encourage pedestrian mobility. Walkability is defined both as the degree to which open spaces encourage walking and, within suitable distances, the presence of accessible destinations. This article proposes a methodology integrating indirect audit and GIS-based for comprehensive assessment of walkability at the neighbourhood level. The results yield a gravitational accessibility measure enriched by a composite index, highlighting deficiencies in the open space system and guiding urban-planning interventions.