1199 | 259 | Mrs. | Janina Welsch* (presenter), Anna-Lena van der Vlugt*, Edward Prichard**, Katrin Lättman**, Jonas De Vos***, Noriko Otsuka*
Title: Neighbourhood walkability, people’s perceptions and vulnerabilities in three European cities_x000D_
_x000D_
Walking is a cheap and sustainable mode of travel which has the potential –at least for short distances- to decrease travel by other, less environmentally friendly modes as well as boost physical health and wellbeing. If combined with public transport, walking has the potential to reduce dependence on private cars and increase social participation. But in order to do so, urban neighbourhoods need basic pedestrian infrastructures and should provide access to relevant services and places. Recent research shows, that good walking conditions and accessibilities are important requirements for encouraging walking in urban areas, but also that they are interrelated with people’s perceptions and walking attitudes._x000D_
In this presentation, we provide insights into our research on walking behaviour and perceptions in six urban residential areas in Dortmund (Germany), Genoa (Italy) and Gothenburg (Sweden). These cities differ in their geographies and socio-economic structure as well as policies and approaches toward facilitating walking as a travel mode, and subsequently also in their actual walking environments. For all neighbourhoods we calculated a walkability index to assess objective walkability using OpenStreetMap (OSM) data and compare it to the resident’s perceived walkability, which we obtained through a household survey. In order to capture specific needs of vulnerable groups in relation to a safe and enjoyable walking environment, we also conducted walk-along interviews while walking together. In all cities we accompanied school children in the surrounding area of their schools. In addition, elderly people were interviewed in Dortmund and disabled people in Genoa. Thus, we can gain a deeper understanding of supporting and hindering factors for walking and will discuss the possibilities of how these insights can be integrated into future research and planning practices._x000D_
Janina Welsch* (presenter), Anna-Lena van der Vlugt*, Edward Prichard**, Katrin Lättman**, Jonas De Vos***, Noriko Otsuka*
ILS-Research gGmbH (Germany)*; University of Gävle (Sweden)** ; University College London (UK)***
ID Abstract: 259