Walkability under Climate Pressure: Application to Three UNESCO World Heritage Cities in Central Spain

Javier Velázquez (), Javier Infante, Inmaculada Gómez, Ana Hernando, Derya Gülçin, Fernando Herráez, Víctor Rincón and Rui Alexandre Castanho
Additional contact information
Javier Velázquez: Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Department of Environment and Agroforestry, Catholic University of Ávila, 05005 Ávila, Spain
Javier Infante: Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Department of Environment and Agroforestry, Catholic University of Ávila, 05005 Ávila, Spain
Inmaculada Gómez: Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Department of Environment and Agroforestry, Catholic University of Ávila, 05005 Ávila, Spain
Ana Hernando: Silvanet Research Group, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Derya Gülçin: Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Landscape Architecture, Aydın Adnan Menderes University, Aydın 09100, Turkey
Fernando Herráez: Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Department of Environment and Agroforestry, Catholic University of Ávila, 05005 Ávila, Spain
Víctor Rincón: Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology, Complutense University of Madrid, Plaza de Ramón y Cajal, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Rui Alexandre Castanho: Faculty of Applied Sciences, WSB University, 41-300 Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 5, 1-28

Abstract: Walkability is a modern concept that has become important in recent years due to the doubtless effects it has on aspects such as health and wellbeing, sustainable development, climate change, and tourism. It is necessary, therefore, that urban development strategies aim to achieve walkable cities. The main objective of this study is to define a methodology to calculate the walkability index in tourist cities and to predict the effects of climate change on this index, which is applied to three World Heritage cities in central Spain: Salamanca, Ávila, and Segovia. The methodology is developed in three phases. Phase I focus on the calculation of walkability, considering the following factors: facilities and services, accessibility, sidewalk width, population density, green areas, and urban trees. In Phase II, walkability in 2020, climate-related variables were added to the previous result: temperatures, solar radiation, and shadows. Finally, the third phase, walkability under climate change pressure in 2030, 2050, and 2100, establish predictions for different climate scenarios. The results show excellent walkability indices (higher) in city centers and newly built neighborhoods and low values in the rest of the peripheral areas, industrial estates, and neighborhoods. Climate predictions showed a generalized decrease in walkability over time, even higher in the scenario with high greenhouse gas emissions. Likewise, the models can be an excellent tool for the tourist management of cities since they show the most walkable areas and, therefore, the most suitable for tourist routes.

Keywords: walkability; climate change; tourism; geographic information system (GIS); remote sensing (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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