Evaluation of the Walkability for Baby Strollers in Urban Streets Based on Smartphone Sensor Data

High-quality walking space is required by stroller users; however, there is limited research on stroller-friendly streets. In this paper, a quantitative evaluation method for the walkability of the baby stroller was proposed, based on smartphone sensors. Firstly, the baby stroller index (BSI) system was constructed from three aspects including quickness, smoothness, and behavior complexity, and the index weights were determined by the AHP method. Then, a smartphone application was developed for data collection and analysis. Finally, field experiments were conducted on several typical streets in Shanghai, China. The experiment results are compared with subjective evaluations from baby stroller users. The results indicate that the BSI was in line with the subjective feelings of users, and can well represent the walkability of the streets. The proposed method in this study can be used for quantitative evaluation of walking space in urban streets, and provide references for street improvement.