An evaluation and design support system for urban walkability

We present an operational proposal for the evaluation of walkability. Its distinguishing characteristic in conceptualising walkability is to take into account and combine three distinct elements in a multicriteria evaluation model: the availability of attractive destinations, their effective distances along a detailed representation of the street network and the qualities rele-vant to walkability of the potential paths leading to these destinations. In other words, our construction of the walkability score does not reflect only how a place is per se walkable, but rather what is the walkability that place is endowed with. We further present examples and use cases of how such an operational approach may be used (1) for the evaluation of walkability of an urban area; (2) as a "conventional" planning and decision support system, through comparing the effects of urban projects on the walkability of the area; and finally (3) as a design support system, with having the sys-tem itself attempt to devise possible designs and projects, given a user-defined objective to raise the walkability of an urban area.