DETERMINANTS OF WALKABILITY PERCEPTION: THE CASE OF DUZCE CITY

Back to Page Authors: Ezgi Akcam, Elif Kutay Karacor

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Keywords: neighborhood design, open space, urban parks, walkability

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Abstract: The walkability perception means how pedestrians feel when performing walking activities in the urban environment. Recently, the walkability perception has become quite prominent in urban studies due to increasing motor vehicle use and building densities in cities. The aim of this study is to reveal the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and walking distances and durations to urban green spaces on walkability perceptions. In this context, it is believed that the study will contribute to the introducing of specific solutions to increase the perception of walkability. Avni Akyol and Inonu Parks located in Duzce city center were determined as the center and the study area was limited with 22 neighborhoods. Using the 1/1000 scale Duzce City Master Plan, green area access distance and duration were measured by Network Analysis within the scope of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Access durations and distances obtained from spatial analyzes and data from oral interviews were transferred to the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 22.0 software. In this context, two samples T-Test, one-way analysis of variance and simple correlation analysis were performed. It was determined that walkability perception differed according to socio-demographic structure of inhabitants of the city, and the distance and duration of access to urban green spaces had an effect on the walkability perception of people. This study is important in terms of revealing the effect of walking distance of green areas in city center on individuals' perception of walkability.

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