Walk Score, Environmental Quality and Walking in a Campus Setting

Zhehao Zhang, Thomas Fisher and Haiming Wang ()
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Zhehao Zhang: School of Architecture, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China
Thomas Fisher: School of Architecture, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Haiming Wang: School of Architecture and Engineering, Yantai Institute of Technology, Yantai 264003, China

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 4, 1-19

Abstract: A small amount of campus walkability research has considered facility layout and environmental quality. The aim of this paper is to use a Walk Score and Urban Design Quality to assess campus walkability and investigate the impact of a campus Walk Score, environmental quality and other streetscape features on walking activity. This paper optimizes the Walk Score method based on the frequency, variety, and distance of students’ walking to and from public facilities. A total of 157 campus street segments from the Weijin Road Campus of Tianjin University in China were selected to assess campus Walk Scores and environmental quality through the use of GIS and field audits. The effect of campus walkability and environmental features on pedestrian volume was examined by negative binomial regression. We found that Walk Score, transparency, street furniture, the number of buildings and noise level have a positive effect on walking activity, while enclosure and building basic color show a negative relationship with pedestrian volume. The results will be used to propose strategies to improve campus walkability and promote walking activity.

Keywords: Walk Score; urban design quality; university campus; walking activity; walkability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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