Urban Walkability in the Subtropical City: Some Intemperate Considerations from SEQ
01 Jan 2006-
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored urban design issues that are particular to achieving walkability in subtropical cities, drawing on published research, government policy and field observations of the sub-urban city of Brisbane.
Abstract: Since the 1990s, urban walkability has emerged as a major concern of urban design and planning. In Australia and around the world, this has been supported by strong links to the public health fields, as it is increasingly recognised that active transport (via supportive environments for physical activity) offers improved individual and public health outcomes as well as the recognised benefits of reduced fossil fuel use, pollution and congestion. Drawing on published research, government policy and field observations of the subtropical city of Brisbane, this paper explores urban design issues that are particular to achieving walkability in subtropical cities.
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Dissertation•
12 Feb 2018
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed a model to assess the importance of each criterion, with testing conducted by group decisions among the members of the expert group, with the relevance of every considered criterion was determined, including vehicle frequency, ticket pricing and the employment stage.
Abstract: The decision on building railway systems in the past decades was a consequence of irrational decision-making process in many cities, which resulted in numerous complaints in the following years aimed to the systems and their better utilization due to the unfulfilled goals set in the construction. The Republic of Croatia has plans to include railways into urban and suburban public transport in major cities; therefore, it is necessary, as the decision has been made, to examine the railways, and to ensure as probable as possible to make the railway systems become an adequate realistic solution to the problem. The compatibility of the railways as a chosen solution depends on several internal and external factors, where the problem is a result of their number, relations between them, and the fact that their relevance and impact is not the same in each city. The analysis of causality and its effects, in addition to the deduction reasoning, can be conducted by a holistic approach, as representing every included factor and criterion in a hierarchy or network, with every possible outcome. Considering the mentioned, the method of analytic network process (ANP) is an efficient framework for solving this complex problem. Based on the determined factors influencing the level of usage in the planned systems and the relationships between the factors, the ANP model was developed in this paper to assess the importance of each criterion, with testing conducted by group decisions among the members of the expert group. In this manner, the relevance of every considered criterion was determined, with the following ones as dominant: vehicle frequency, ticket pricing and the employment stage. Considering the potential for modelling travel behaviour, i.e. attracting passengers, reliability and service integration become dominant, if the criteria demanding significant financial investments were not considered. The determined criterion relevance enables evaluating projects, and the plan for integrating railways into the urban and suburban traffic in the City of Rijeka is represented in the paper as a case study. In this purpose, the relevance of the objective criteria was determined based on measuring standards, and subjective criteria based on a survey. By gathering the obtained criterion values and their relevance, a 67-percent fulfilment of the successful integration criteria was determined, with the possibility to significantly raise the probability of project success if the offered service was acceptable to the users in terms of pricing, frequency and integration with the existing bus network (about 11 %).
30 citations
Dissertation•
28 Nov 2017
23 citations
Cites background from "Urban Walkability in the Subtropica..."
...However, some sceptics suspect the 400m is comfortable only for a person of average fitness, particularly under severe climatic conditions such as high temperatures, humidity or torrential rain (O’Hare, 2006)....
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...Several sources attribute the development of this dilemma to the outdated practices of street design that keep prioritising cars over pedestrians (e.g. Campbell & Cowan, 2002; O’Hare, 2006; BaHammam, 2009; Koelbl, 2013; Newman & Kenworthy, 2015)....
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...Although most of these studies have been conducted in temperate climates (O’Hare, 2006; Aljawabra & Nikolopoulou, 2010), recently, the subject has increasingly become of research interest in other climates....
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...Additionally, most of the studies described above were developed for temperate climates, mainly for resting areas, i.e. ‘static environments’; thus climatic conditions were rarely considered as a major determinant for walking (O’Hare, 2006)....
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...‘static environments’; thus climatic conditions were rarely considered as a major determinant for walking (O’Hare, 2006)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the walking behavior of the users of two neighborhoods in Abu Dhabi and explored the following questions: (1) What patterns of walking behavior are observable in the street, and what are their diurnal and seasonal rhythms? (2) What potential reasons could explain the observed walking behavior? (3) To what extent do the built environment and climate affect walking in Abu Abu Dhabi? (4) What particular strategies could be adopted to encourage walking in the Emirate? Data collection and analysis tools include the following: Geographic Information Systems (GIS), field
Abstract: Regarded as critical infrastructure for a city’s planning and design, pedestrian facilities are considered to be crucial to the health and economic well-being of a city’s inhabitants This study assesses the walkable environment of two urban neighborhoods in Abu Dhabi’s main island The research aims at providing the primary data required to facilitate the development of policies, design strategies, and systems that will support sustainable walking environments throughout the Emirate Specifically, the study examines the walking behavior of the users of two neighborhoods in Abu Dhabi The following questions were explored: (1) What patterns of walking behavior are observable in the street, and what are their diurnal and seasonal rhythms? (2) What potential reasons could explain the observed walking behavior? (3) To what extent do the built environment and climate affect walking in Abu Dhabi? (4) What particular strategies could be adopted to encourage walking in Abu Dhabi? Data collection and analysis tools include the following: (1) Geographic Information Systems (GIS), (2) fieldwork, and (3) qualitative data assembled from a survey questionnaire Survey results presented walking as a widely used form of non-motorized transportation for both leisure and utilitarian purposes among blue-collar employees working in the service and retail sectors Transportation, entertainment, physical fitness, and health were reported as major reasons for walking Although participants’ walking patterns were not significantly affected by climate, respondents reported that weather was the main source of discomfort while walking Policy and design changes, infrastructure enhancement, and potential shading methods are proposed to enhance the walking experience
11 citations
Abstract: This research presents the results of a study about thermal comfort measurement and evaluation in the theme parks. Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) is employed as a thermal index in this research. This research studied how climate impacts thermal comfort in the three biggest theme parks in Jakarta: Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII), Kebun Binatang Ragunan (KBR) and Taman Impian Jaya Ancol (TIJA). Part of the large ongoing Urban Microclimate Space Research, this research that aims to investigate the influence of the microclimate on how urban public spaces are appreciated and used shown in a tropical humid climate thermal comfort is difficult to achieve with respect to open spaces. The results highlighted the need to expand the concept of comfort in the different concept of theme parks. This analysis shows that the location and the concept of theme park directly influence the formation of microclimate affected thermal comfort inside.
10 citations
Cites background from "Urban Walkability in the Subtropica..."
...O’Hare (2006) stated the parameters that interfere with thermal comfort in open space are similar to those of inside spaces, but they are more extended and variable....
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Dissertation•
01 Jan 2015
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present an architecture and design degree at the American University of Beirut (A.U.L.D. 2015) with a focus on the design of architectural objects.
Abstract: Thesis. M.U.D. American University of Beirut. Department of Architecture and Design, 2015. ET:6254
6 citations
References
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Book•
01 Jan 1961
TL;DR: The conditions for city diversity, the generators of diversity, and the need for mixed primary uses are discussed in this paper, with a focus on the use of small blocks for small blocks.
Abstract: 1 Introduction Part One: The Peculiar Nature of Cities 2 The uses of sidewalks: safety 3 The uses of sidewalks: contact 4 The uses of sidewalks: assimilating children 5 The uses of neighbourhood parks 6 The uses of city neighbourhoods. Part Two: The Conditions for City Diversity 7 The generators of diversity 8 The need for mixed primary uses 9 The need for small blocks 10 The need for aged buildings 11 The need for concentration 12 Some myths about diversity. Part Three: Forces of Decline and Regeneration 13 The self-destruction of diversity 14 The curse of border vacuums 15 Unslumming and slumming 16 Gradual money and cataclysmic money. Part Four: Different Tactics 17 Subsidizing dwellings 18 Erosion of cities or attrition of automobiles 19 Visual order: its limitations and possibilities 20 Salvaging projects 21 Governing and planning districts 22 The kind of problem a city is Index.
11,879 citations
"Urban Walkability in the Subtropica..." refers background in this paper
...These qualities, including “active frontages” and “eyes on the street” (or casual surveillance), were first spelt out by Jane Jacobs almost half a century ago (Jacobs 1960)....
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Book•
01 Jan 1993
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the issues of urban sprawl and visit the Sprawl Net, at Rice University, which is under construction, but it should be an interesting resource.
Abstract: Regarding issues of urban sprawl Visit Sprawl Net, at Rice University. It's under construction, but it should be an interesting resource. Check out the traffic in the land of commuting. And, finally, enjoy Los Angeles: Revisiting the Four Ecologies.
1,533 citations
"Urban Walkability in the Subtropica..." refers background in this paper
...For example, Calthorpe’s (1993:56) TOD model assumes that a “comfortable walking distance” of +/10 minutes equates to 2000 feet (600m); Kaido (2005) highlights 500m as a critical distance in Japanese cities; Llewellyn-Davies (2000) proposes walking distances between 250-800m as appropriate for specified urban facilities in the British context....
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...1985) and connectivity (Calthorpe 1993) in pedestrian routes....
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...The concept of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) seeks to develop compact neighbourhoods with housing, parks, shops, offices, jobs and civic and community facilities within a 5-10 minute direct walk of public transport stops (Calthorpe 1993)....
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Book•
01 Jun 2004
TL;DR: The authors examine the direct and indirect impacts of sprawl on human health and well-being, and discuss the prospects for improving public health through alternative approaches to design, land use, and transportation.
Abstract: In Urban Sprawl and Public Health, three of the nation's leading public health and urban planning experts explore an intriguing question: How does the physical environment in which we live affect our health? For decades, growth and development in our communities has been of the low-density, automobile-dependent type known as sprawl. The authors examine the direct and indirect impacts of sprawl on human health and well-being, and discuss the prospects for improving public health through alternative approaches to design, land use, and transportation. Urban Sprawl and Public Health offers a comprehensive look at the interface of urban planning, architecture, transportation, community design, and public health. It summarizes the evidence linking adverse health outcomes with sprawling development, and outlines the complex challenges of developing policy that promotes and protects public health. Anyone concerned with issues of public health, urban planning, transportation, architecture, or the environment will want to read this book.
582 citations
Book•
01 May 2003
TL;DR: Health and Community Design is a comprehensive examination of how the built environment encourages or discourages physical activity, drawing together insights from a range of research on the relationships between urban form and public health.
Abstract: Health and Community Design is a comprehensive examination of how the built environment encourages or discourages physical activity, drawing together insights from a range of research on the relationships between urban form and public health. It provides important information about the factors that influence decisions about physical activity and modes of travel, and about how land use patterns can be changed to help overcome barriers to physical activity. Chapters examine: the historical relationship between health and urban form in the United States; why urban and suburban development should be designed to promote moderate types of physical activity; the divergent needs and requirements of different groups of people and the role of those needs in setting policy; how different settings make it easier or more difficult to incorporate walking and bicycling into everyday activities; A concluding chapter reviews the arguments presented and sketches a research agenda for the future.
518 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1985
330 citations
"Urban Walkability in the Subtropica..." refers background in this paper
...These now widely accepted urban design and planning approaches incorporate earlier concepts of permeability (Bentley et al. 1985) and connectivity (Calthorpe 1993) in pedestrian routes....
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