Gendered walkability: Building a daytime walkability index for women

Urban walkability is influenced both by built environment features and by pedestrian demographics. Research has shown that factors influencing women’s walking differ from those affecting men’s. Using a mixed-method approach, this study creates a new women-specific, GIS-based walkability index using...

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Main Authors: Yael Golan, Nancy Wilkinson, Jason M Henderson, Aiko Weverka
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing 2019-06-01
Series:Journal of Transport and Land Use
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/1472
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author Yael Golan
Nancy Wilkinson
Jason M Henderson
Aiko Weverka
author_facet Yael Golan
Nancy Wilkinson
Jason M Henderson
Aiko Weverka
author_sort Yael Golan
collection DOAJ
description Urban walkability is influenced both by built environment features and by pedestrian demographics. Research has shown that factors influencing women’s walking differ from those affecting men’s. Using a mixed-method approach, this study creates a new women-specific, GIS-based walkability index using San Francisco as a case study, and answers two questions: Which variables most influence women’s propensity to walk? And Does the leading walkability index, Walk Score, reflect women’s walkability? Focus group participants (n=17) ranked crime, homelessness and street/sidewalk cleanliness as the three most influencing factors on women’s walkability, accounting for 58% to 67% of the Women’s Walkability Index’s total score. The least walkable areas in San Francisco, according to this index, are rated as some of the most walkable neighborhoods in the city by Walk Score, despite high crime and homelessness density. Walk Score is negatively correlated with the new Women’s Walkability Index (Spearman’s rho = -0.585) and inaccurately represents women’s walkability. If the new index accurately captures the reality of women’s walking, then some of the most widely accepted conventions about what kind of areas promote walking could be inaccurate when it comes to women.
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spelling doaj-art-df2c1fc69b0e4db2b40b226100fe40772025-08-20T03:24:56ZengUniversity of Minnesota Libraries PublishingJournal of Transport and Land Use1938-78492019-06-0112110.5198/jtlu.2019.1472Gendered walkability: Building a daytime walkability index for womenYael Golan0Nancy Wilkinson1Jason M Henderson2Aiko Weverka3San Francisco State UniversitySan Francisco State UniversitySan Francisco State UniversitySan Francisco State UniversityUrban walkability is influenced both by built environment features and by pedestrian demographics. Research has shown that factors influencing women’s walking differ from those affecting men’s. Using a mixed-method approach, this study creates a new women-specific, GIS-based walkability index using San Francisco as a case study, and answers two questions: Which variables most influence women’s propensity to walk? And Does the leading walkability index, Walk Score, reflect women’s walkability? Focus group participants (n=17) ranked crime, homelessness and street/sidewalk cleanliness as the three most influencing factors on women’s walkability, accounting for 58% to 67% of the Women’s Walkability Index’s total score. The least walkable areas in San Francisco, according to this index, are rated as some of the most walkable neighborhoods in the city by Walk Score, despite high crime and homelessness density. Walk Score is negatively correlated with the new Women’s Walkability Index (Spearman’s rho = -0.585) and inaccurately represents women’s walkability. If the new index accurately captures the reality of women’s walking, then some of the most widely accepted conventions about what kind of areas promote walking could be inaccurate when it comes to women.https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/1472WalkabilityGenderWomenWalk ScoreGISWalking
spellingShingle Yael Golan
Nancy Wilkinson
Jason M Henderson
Aiko Weverka
Gendered walkability: Building a daytime walkability index for women
Journal of Transport and Land Use
Walkability
Gender
Women
Walk Score
GIS
Walking
title Gendered walkability: Building a daytime walkability index for women
title_full Gendered walkability: Building a daytime walkability index for women
title_fullStr Gendered walkability: Building a daytime walkability index for women
title_full_unstemmed Gendered walkability: Building a daytime walkability index for women
title_short Gendered walkability: Building a daytime walkability index for women
title_sort gendered walkability building a daytime walkability index for women
topic Walkability
Gender
Women
Walk Score
GIS
Walking
url https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/1472
work_keys_str_mv AT yaelgolan genderedwalkabilitybuildingadaytimewalkabilityindexforwomen
AT nancywilkinson genderedwalkabilitybuildingadaytimewalkabilityindexforwomen
AT jasonmhenderson genderedwalkabilitybuildingadaytimewalkabilityindexforwomen
AT aikoweverka genderedwalkabilitybuildingadaytimewalkabilityindexforwomen