The Usage and Perception of Pedestrian Zones in Lithuanian Cities: Multiple Criteria and Comparative Analysis

Rūta Dičiūnaitė-Rauktienė, Virginija Gurskienė, Marija Burinskienė and Vida Maliene
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Rūta Dičiūnaitė-Rauktienė: Institute of Land Management and Geomatics, Faculty of Water and Land Management, Aleksandras Stulginskis University, Studentu 11, Akademija, LT-53361 Kaunas distr., Lithuania
Virginija Gurskienė: Institute of Land Management and Geomatics, Faculty of Water and Land Management, Aleksandras Stulginskis University, Studentu 11, Akademija, LT-53361 Kaunas distr., Lithuania
Marija Burinskienė: Road Department, Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Sauletekio ave. 11, LT-10223 Vilnius, Lithuania
Vida Maliene: Institute of Land Management and Geomatics, Faculty of Water and Land Management, Aleksandras Stulginskis University, Studentu 11, Akademija, LT-53361 Kaunas distr., Lithuania

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 3, 1-22

Abstract: As pedestrian zones are public spaces in urban areas, they are important in terms of meeting people’s needs. However, it is worth noting that attention should be paid not only to the development of the physical infrastructure, but also to a sustainable balance between the socio-economic and environmental aspects. To guide urban planning and management initiatives towards more sustainable patterns, it is essential to re-examine the already existing characteristics of cities, establishing how they are used and perceived by inhabitants. The present research suggests environmental, economic and social criteria that determine a greater vitality of pedestrian zones in cities and better life quality for the inhabitants. A questionnaire survey was used to assess common attitudes regarding the research topic in major cities in Lithuania. The multiple criteria decision-making COPRAS ( COmplex PRoportional ASsessment ) method was used for the formation of a priority queue. The research results showed the attitudes of inhabitants towards pedestrian zones in Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda. The inhabitants of these three cities regarded social and environmental criteria groups as the most significant. Contrary to what was expected and anticipated, respondents do not consider economic criteria as playing a key role in the sustainable preservation and development of pedestrian zones.

Keywords: Pedestrian zones in cities; sustainability of pedestrian zones; criteria for successful pedestrian zones; multiple criteria analysis; assessment of pedestrian zones in Lithuania (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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