MeasuringWalkability of the Built Environment in Communities for an Aging Society
With the increasingly aging population in China and the importance of concepts like"walkability"and"green transportation",it is necessary to explore the level of walkability in communities oriented to the elderly.In this study,three communities oriented to the elderly in Daqing City,Heilongjiang Province which have significantly different facility layouts,road network characteristics,and architectural textures were chosen as research objects.Existing problems of the built environments in these communities were analyzed using the comprehensive measurement model of walkability and walking index method.Some strategies to optimize walkability of unbuilt and built communities were suggested.The macroscopic and microscopic walkability evaluation indexes were determined with reference to existing studies and a questionnaire survey.Weights of different indexes were determined by combining the analytic hierarchy process(AHP)and the expert scoring method.A walkability evaluation index system for the elderly was built.Through measurement and calculation,the quality and walkability status of walking environments in three communities under macroscopic and microscopic levels were summarized.The walkability index for the elderly was improved based on road network data and points of interest(POI)data(daily life facilities for the elderly).The meso-service facility distribution and current accessibility were ascertained through survey data,kernel density analysis,and walkability index.The case communities were analyzed based on measurement results:① From the index layer,Lianghu Community has a low intelligibility,but has good traffic safety,environmental quality,pedestrian width,and pedestrian cleanness.Hubin Community has easy access and obviously higher intelligibility than others.Wanbao Community gets a high score in road network convenience,but has low scores in environmental quality,pedestrian width,pedestrian continuity,pavement quality,and pedestrian cleanness.② From the criteria layer,the three communities differ significantly in term of connectivity,readability,and comfort.Lianghu Community gets high scores in safety,comfort,and pleasure.Wanbao Community gets lower scores than the other two communities due to the poor environment.③ From the goal layer,Hubin Community and Wanbao Community show better land development and utilization,while Lianghu Community lags behind.With respect to road structural attributes,Hubin Community>Wanbao Community>Lianghu Community.From walking service level and environmental quality level,Lianghu Community>Hubin Community>Wanbao Community.At present,communities oriented to the elderly demonstrate common problems such as coexistence of people and vehicles,road crossings,ambiguous guidance of road signs,no perfect elderly care service system in modern communities,influences of community age limits and property management on the walking environment,etc.Measuring the walkability of communities should take multiple aspects into account.Community planning,service facility distribution,and walking environmental quality can all influence overall walkability of communities.① Community planning layout includes land use diversity and road network structures,and both can influence the travel experiences of the elderly.The rich business functions and straight roads can increase the elderly's enthusiasm for walking outdoors.②Service facility distribution and coverage can influence walkability scores to some extent.The walkability scores are higher if the facility distribution is more uniform and the coverage is wider,indicating better walkability in the region.③Factors like road network convenience,road pavement,planning of parking places,medical and shopping facilities,green environment,and property management can influence walking environmental quality of communities and satisfaction of the elderly with the overall walking environment of communities.During planning of unbuilt communities,it is recommended to build a safe and convenient network and enrich business functions of communities to meet the various activity needs of the elderly,and guarantee plentiful rest spaces and walking safety of the elderly.
agingwalkabilitythe aged groupcommunitywalkability index
国家科技期刊平台
NSTL
万方数据
维普
