Exploratory Analysis of Revealed Pedestrian Paths as Cues for Designing Pedestrian Infrastructure
Publication: Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 145, Issue 4
Abstract
Pedestrianism is a key mode of transportation within an urban community. However, unlike motorized transport, pedestrians are not limited to using the codified infrastructure designed for foot travel (e.g., sidewalks). Pedestrians can reveal, in physical form, desired paths to connect origins and destinations. This exploratory study employed two methods to examine the extent and drivers of desired pedestrian paths and activity: (1) aerial photography and spatial analysis were used to create an inventory of desired paths on the campus of Florida State University, and (2) a survey of desired path users was administered to determine the drivers of this activity. A comparison of spatial data from 2013 and 2018 demonstrates an array of desired paths on campus and, over time, campus planners have codified many of these informal paths. The results from the survey demonstrate that pedestrians use desired paths primarily for efficiency but not at the expense of nighttime safety concerns. We offer desired paths as physical evidence of pedestrian preferences that planners can use to improve the design of pedestrian infrastructure.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 145 • Issue 4 • December 2019
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 11, 2018
Accepted: May 1, 2019
Published online: Oct 15, 2019
Published in print: Dec 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Mar 15, 2020
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