Search

Walking constitutes a fundamental activity and pedestrians play a vital role in the vitality of urban spaces. This research endeavor aims to conduct a comparative analysis of walkability between Tehran's Takhti and Marzdaran neighborhoods while validating the findings and comparing specialized models. The assessment of data and the comparative examination of the two neighborhoods were carried out utilizing three quantitative models: WalkScore, Smartraq, and SpaceSyntax. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS LISREL software. The research methodology employed was descriptive, analytical, and survey-based, representing an applied approach. The statistical population encompassed 250 residents from both neighborhoods. The analysis of pedestrian circulation models revealed that the Takhti neighborhood attained a WalkScore rating of 93.07%, achieved a connectivity index of 1.76 in the Space Syntax model, and exhibited three positive Z-scores in the Smartraq model. Conversely, the Marzdaran neighborhood obtained a WalkScore rating of 77.86%, recorded a connectivity index of 1.69 in the Space Syntax model, and displayed three negative Z-scores in the Smartraq model. By evaluating these outcomes and subjecting them to statistical analyses, encompassing the examination of performance, physical, social, and environmental criteria, it becomes evident that the Takhti neighborhood, with an average score of 3.52, exhibits a superior capability for walkability compared to the Marzdaran neighborhood, which achieved an average score of 2.40. These results reinforce the quantitative model findings regarding walkability in the Takhti neighborhood. Introduction The absence of pedestrian presence in local areas and the subsequent decline in neighborhood walkability have adverse effects on security, safety, and social interactions. These issues are further compounded by environmental concerns like air and noise pollution, public health implications, anonymity of neighborhood spaces, a lack of community belonging, and the resulting physical fatigue. Therefore, obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the current situation is vital for informed decision-making. To address these challenges, it is crucial for urban designers and planners to evaluate and measure the walkability of neighborhoods. This enables them to transform the urban environment, creating a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere that enhances the quality of walking in cities today. This research aims to assess and analyze the local walkability in two neighborhoods in Tehran, employing the WalkScore, Smartraq, and space syntax methods. By comparing the outcomes of these approaches, the study provides a comprehensive analysis of the walkability status within the selected neighborhoods. Furthermore, the research employs statistical analysis to validate the findings obtained from these models. This rigorous examination ensures the reliability and accuracy of the results. Ultimately, the study will propose recommendations that not only highlight the advantages and limitations of the utilized models but also present a neighborhood pattern that prioritizes pedestrian needs and activities. Literature Review By conducting a thorough literature review of previous studies and research pertaining to walkability, with a specific focus on measurement and assessment, it becomes apparent that there are noticeable deficiencies and erroneous approaches in the domestic research landscape. These shortcomings are particularly evident when it comes to result validation. While international research has diligently addressed methodological challenges, there is a dearth of investigation into the validation of these methods using questionnaire data in distinct localities. The necessity of undertaking this research lies in the imperative to introduce effective models for evaluating the state of local walkability. Additionally, it is crucial to validate the outcomes generated by these models and establish comparative analyses to discern their respective strengths and weaknesses. This rigorous examination is integral to unearthing the merits and limitations of each model, thus contributing to the advancement of knowledge in the field. Methodology This study adopts an applied research approach with a combined framework that incorporates both survey-based statistical analysis and descriptive-analytical data analysis methods. The research procedure, data collection, and analysis can be classified into two categories: quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative measures, assessment tools, and statistical techniques were employed to analyze the collected data, while a qualitative approach employing comparative techniques was utilized to compare two specific neighborhoods. Multiple methods were utilized to assess and comparatively analyze the walkability status of the studied neighborhoods. These methods include WalkScore, Smartraq, and space syntax models, each focusing on different dimensions of walkability. The analysis for WalkScore and Smartraq was performed using ArcGIS software, and a customized Python algorithm was developed and executed for the WalkScore method. For space syntax analysis, DepthMap software was employed. In the following section, statistical analysis was carried out to validate the outcomes derived from these models. This serves two purposes: enhancing the credibility of the models and confirming the reliability of the results in practical applications. This research falls under the comparative research category. The statistical population comprised residents residing in the Takhti and Marzdaran neighborhoods, with a randomly selected sample of 250 individuals. Results Based on the analysis conducted using the space syntax method, the findings reveal that the Takhti neighborhood exhibits a higher level of walkability quality compared to the Marzdaran neighborhood. This conclusion is supported by the evaluation of two critical indicators related to walkability in space syntax: connectivity and integration. Table 1 Indicator Neighborhood Max Min Average Integration Takhti 3.21 0.84 1.75 Marzdaran 3.48 0.87 1.69 Connectivity Takhti 30 1 3.5 Marzdaran 21 1 4.5 Intensity Takhti 1.2 0.32 0.69 Marzdaran 1.25 0.42 0.79 Mean Depth Takhti 7.82 2.79 4.47 Marzdaran 6.31 2.33 3.9n The findings derived from the WalkScore method indicate that the residential blocks located within the Takhti neighborhood consistently exhibit significantly higher average scores in comparison to those situated within the Marzdaran neighborhood. These scores were formulated based on the proximity of each residential block to local amenities, encapsulating an essential aspect of neighborhood livability. Table2 Neighborhood Total Units St.diversion Interval Walkscore Point Average Walkscore point Min Max Takhti 3070 0.16 85.87 98.92 93.07 Marzdaran 2742 0.73 43.75 97.91 77.86 The application of a method known as Smartraq brought to light notable disparities between the Takhti and Marzdaran neighborhoods in terms of intersection density, residential block density, and land use mix index. The findings indicate that the Takhti neighborhood exhibits a substantially higher magnitude in these metrics in comparison to its counterpart, the Marzdaran neighborhood. Table 3 Neighborhood Area (m2) intersections Nodes intersection index (per m2) households Residential Units Area (m2) Residential density Commercial land use area (m2) Office land use area(m2) Residential land use area (m2) land use mix indices Takhti 665946 419 307 6.29 7008 471821 0.018 140553 45604 371821 0.348 Marzdaran 1609772 311 293 1.93 10948 937252 0.011 62697 40771 937252 0.223 This research endeavors to employ rigorous statistical analyses in order to systematically investigate and substantiate the walkability attributes of the two focal neighborhoods, while simultaneously corroborating the results obtained from three distinct walkability models. Notably, regression analysis has effectively demonstrated that the aforementioned components decisively account for approximately 75% of the walkability variance discernible within the Takhti and Marzdaran neighborhoods. The outcomes derived from regression analyses and the comparison of mean values derived from the perceptions of neighborhood residents pertaining to walkability indices convincingly illustrate that the Takhti neighborhood, boasting an average score of 3.52, exhibits a considerably higher level of walkability in comparison to the Marzdaran neighborhood, whose average rating stands at a modest 2.40. Table 4 Indicates Neighborhood Statistics n Mean Median Mode s.d Var Functional Takhti 125 3.8 3.75 3.5 0.54 0.29 Marzdaran 125 2.20 2.32 2.3 0.43 0.48 Physical Takhti 125 3.71 3.5 3.61 0.52 0.27 Marzdaran 125 2.53 2.12 2.75 0.62 0.39 Social Takhti 125 4.12 4 4 0.54 0.32 Marzdaran 125 2.64 2.37 2.25 0.68 0.46 Environment Takhti 125 2.46 2.25 2.25 0.83 0.69 Marzdaran 125 2.24 2.3 2.5 0.68 0.38 Total Takhti 125 3.52 3.15 3.26 0.91 0.99 Marzdaran 125 2.40 2.90 2.75 0.663 0.441 Conclusion In conclusion, the synthesis of findings arising from the WalkScore, Smartraq, and Spaces syntax methods has yielded valuable insights into the strengths and limitations of each approach within the assessment framework. Based on the comprehensive analysis, it can be deduced that all three models have demonstrated efficacy, with their outcomes exhibiting notable congruity. However, none of these methods in isolation can be deemed adequate for a holistic evaluation of neighborhood walkability. Therefore, it is advisable to combine these methodologies to achieve a more comprehensive assessment of pedestrian environments. Unanimously, all three models concur on the walkability of the Takhti neighborhood, renowned for its historical character, intricate urban fabric, diverse land uses, and abundant amenities. Notably, this neighborhood excels across various indicators of walkability, encompassing ease of access to facilities, a mix of land uses, safety measures, population density, residential density, intersection density, continuity of networks, and street connectivity. As corroborated by the models, Takhti emerges as a notably pedestrian-friendly environment, diligently addressing the diverse needs of pedestrians, in stark contrast to the recently developed Marzdaran neighborhood. Acknowledgments The authors express their sincere gratitude to all individuals who have played a role in the conception and execution of this scholarly article.

The old cities, which are often built based on the pedestrian model, had a favorable walkability level; But with the passage of time, especially after Pahlavi era and with a greater desire to use cars, this desirability started to decline. At the present time, the development of cities is car-oriented, while the walkable city encourages citizens to walk in the city by planning the environmental structure and land use. Based on this, the current research aimed to evaluate and compare the walkablity in developed urban neighborhoods at different periods and with different physical, social and economic characteristics. The research case study of Semnan city has been selected, which consists of three districts, and one neighborhood will be investigated from each district. Pachenar neighborhood is located in District 1 and the historical context of the city and formed the city's core. Golshahr neighborhood is located in the second district of Semnan city, and its formation and development are mostly related to the forties and the second Pahlavi period. Modiran neighborhood, located in the third district, has a new texture, and its formation is due to the development after the revolution and is mainly related to the 80s. The approach used in the research is descriptive-analytical, and the walk score method was used to evaluate the walkability in these three neighborhoods. This method is a valuable tool for quantitative measurement of walking in a specified urban area, which can be done in four steps and calculates the final score based on the distance of a user from her required users. These uses can be classified into five categories. If they are within 400 meters (a quarter of a mile) or less from the center of the neighborhood or the designated origin, they will be given the highest score, and if they are located at a greater distance, a lower score will be given to them. The results of using the walk score method in the research show that the Golshahr neighborhood in the second district is the most walkable among these three options due to the number and variety of activities and its location at an accessible distance for the residents. After Golshahr, the Pachenar neighborhood, in the first district, with its historical context and mainly lack of planning, has the most favorable situation. Finally, the Modiran neighborhood, in the third district, with a primarily residential structure, the least amount of variety of uses, narrow sidewalks, uniform the atmosphere of the neighborhood and the lack of identifying elements are placed in the last priority in terms of the pedestrian condition. On the other hand, according to the results of the research and field investigations, there are suggestions such as improving the condition of the lighting system, improving security, creating greenery on the side of the roads and increasing the visual quality of the roads, paving and improving the condition of the sidewalks, observing the human scale in constructions, increasing mixing Uses, improving the quality of urban furniture and the legibility of the environment (the ability to identify routes) and finally using attractive and diverse facades in buildings in order to improve the pedestrian condition in each of the neighborhoods.

A healthy city is a city that continuously improves its physical, social, and cultural environments, develops its resources, and ensures public health. In recent years, the increasing trends of environmental pollution, unemployment, poverty, poor housing, and social and psychological harms as well as industrialization and the spread of epidemic diseases have decreased the quality of the urban living environment. Noorabad City, like many other cities, is facing many problems such as worn-out structures, inadequate housing, lack of social and health services, and noise pollution. These problems will cause serious damage to the health of the environment and citizens. The present study employs a descriptive-analytical method for final evaluation and data analysis. This study uses t-test and structural equation modeling to explain and model the effects. The results of the t-test of the sample showed that the status of healthy city indicators in the study area with an average of 2.51 is not in an acceptable situation and is estimated to be poor. Analysis of the findings of structural equation modeling indicates that the amount of factor load of the root mean square error (RMSE) is equal to 0.079, which indicates the desirability of the research model. Also, the analysis of the secondorder factor model showed that the health dimension has the highest factor load with a weight of 0.94 and the lowest factor load belongs to the physical dimension with a factor weight of 0.64. In order to promote the indicators of a healthy city and balanced distribution of services and facilities, spatial policies and planning should be based on creating a platform for attracting more private sector investment and directing them to disadvantaged areas where the role of urban management and related organizations is very important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The old cities, which are often built based on the pedestrian model, had a favorable walkability level; But with the passage of time, especially after Pahlavi era and with a greater desire to use cars, this desirability started to decline. At the present time, the development of cities is car-oriented, while the walkable city encourages citizens to walk in the city by planning the environmental structure and land use. Based on this, the current research aimed to evaluate and compare the walkablity in developed urban neighborhoods at different periods and with different physical, social and economic characteristics. The research case study of Semnan city has been selected, which consists of three districts, and one neighborhood will be investigated from each district. Pachenar neighborhood is located in District 1 and the historical context of the city and formed the city's core. Golshahr neighborhood is located in the second district of Semnan city, and its formation and development are mostly related to the forties and the second Pahlavi period. Modiran neighborhood, located in the third district, has a new texture, and its formation is due to the development after the revolution and is mainly related to the 80s. The approach used in the research is descriptiveanalytical, and the walk score method was used to evaluate the walkability in these three neighborhoods. This method is a valuable tool for quantitative measurement of walking in a specified urban area, which can be done in four steps and calculates the final score based on the distance of a user from her required users. These uses can be classified into five categories. If they are within 400 meters (a quarter of a mile) or less from the center of the neighborhood or the designated origin, they will be given the highest score, and if they are located at a greater distance, a lower score will be given to them. The results of using the walk score method in the research show that the Golshahr neighborhood in the second district is the most walkable among these three options due to the number and variety of activities and its location at an accessible distance for the residents. After Golshahr, the Pachenar neighborhood, in the first district, with its historical context and mainly lack of planning, has the most favorable situation. Finally, the Modiran neighborhood, in the third district, with a primarily residential structure, the least amount of variety of uses, narrow sidewalks, uniform the atmosphere of the neighborhood and the lack of identifying elements are placed in the last priority in terms of the pedestrian condition. On the other hand, according to the results of the research and field investigations, there are suggestions such as improving the condition of the lighting system, improving security, creating greenery on the side of the roads and increasing the visual quality of the roads, paving and improving the condition of the sidewalks, observing the human scale in constructions, increasing mixing Uses, improving the quality of urban furniture and the legibility of the environment (the ability to identify routes) and finally using attractive and diverse facades in buildings in order to improve the pedestrian condition in each of the neighborhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Sustainable transportation systems improve the quality of urban life, but today, excessive dependence on cars and lack of attention to walkability have caused problems in achieving sustainable development. Also, car dependency, endangers individual and social life, while the use of sustainable transportation systems improves the quality of life. Therefore, one of the sustainable transportation methods that interest urban planners and designers today is walkability. Walking is the most basic type of urban transportation, and also, it is the safest and most comfortable one. But in the last few decades, most of the cities have been car-oriented and walking has been neglected. In order to study the walkability in the cities the neighborhoods are the most important spaces. The main goal of the current research is to measure the walkability in two neighborhoods of Rasht using the walk score method. Although this method is known worldwide, very few researchers in Iran have used this method. Therefore, the innovation of the current research is the use of the walk score method to measure the walkability of Pirsara and Golsar neighborhoods of Rasht City, which are different in terms of structure, texture, and economic, cultural, and social characteristics. Methodology: Walk score is one of the practical methods of analyzing the amount of walkability that has met with great popularity in the world. It should be noted that this method is used in various fields such as urban planning, health, transportation, and real estate. The walk score algorithm is based on the distance of the residential unit to the nearest amenities. These amenities include grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops, cafes, cinemas, schools, parks, libraries, bookstores, sports clubs, pharmacies, digital stores, clothing, and music stores. Scoring is based on the shortness of the distance, and the shorter the distance, the better, and receives more points. This score indicates the walkability of the neighborhood. To perform the walk score method, three categories of information including network and walkability distances, street quantitative indicators (including the number of intersections and the average length of blocks), and the score of specific group users are required. Results: The findings show that both Pirsara and Golsar neighborhoods of Rasht city, despite their differences in terms of age, physical structure, and socio-economic status of the residents, have good walking ability and most of the trips can be done on foot. The short distance between the blocks, high permeability, and also the presence of many retail stores in the Pirsara neighborhood have made it easy for the people of this neighborhood to access daily services on foot. The checkered and regular texture, high permeability, and the commercial edge of the main street of the Golsar neighborhood have also facilitated the access of the residents of this neighborhood to urban facilities and services. Therefore, the amount of walk score can be directly related to the environmental and physical characteristics of the neighborhoods. Discussion: The high walk score in the two mentioned neighborhoods has different origins. Due to the short distance between the blocks, Pirsara has a high level of permeability, and at the same time, the presence of scattered commercial retail shops in the texture has made it easy for the people of this neighborhood to access daily services on foot. On the other hand, the checkered and regular texture of Golsar is the reason for the high permeability of this neighborhood and the commercial edge of its main street has facilitated the residents' access. Therefore, the walk score of these neighborhoods is directly related to the environmental characteristics related to walking. On the other hand, due to the lack of separation between pedestrians and vehicle way, the lack of proper flooring and attractions along the route, the walkability of Pirsara neighborhood is lower compared to its level of Golsar neighborhood. As a result, more attention should be paid to Pirsara neighborhood compared to Golsar district. CONCLUSION: Although the Walk Score method pays attention to important quantitative indicators such as access to attractive uses for walkability, the number of intersections, and the average length of the block, many qualitative indicators of walkability such as the quality of footpath flooring, security and safety, street lighting and legibility of the environment are disregarded. It ignores localities. Therefore, it is necessary to use other methods of walkability evaluation besides this method in order to get favorable results.Some indicators that the walk score method does not consider are the existence of a separate walking path with flooring and curbs, the quality of the walking path when it rains, the cleanliness of the walking paths at the alleys, the lighting of the neighborhood accesses at night, the safety of walkability during the day and night, the absence of obstacles, and the legibility of the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction In the last few decades, the number and use of motor vehicles have increased dramatically in cities across the world and urban spaces and mobility have been dominated by motor vehicles. Thistrend has made various environmental, social, and economic issues for cities and has threatened their sustainable development. Therefore, in recent years, special attention has been paid to changing the mobility model as well as urban design and planning. So that the urban sustainable development paradigm and theories like New Urbanism emphasize the reduction of automobile dependence and increasing the walkability of urban space. Walkability refers to the extent to which an environment is suitable for walking. There are various environmental, social, and economic benefits for walkability in urban spaces. Therefore, recognizing the various factors affecting the walking of citizens, including physical-spatial indicators and planning to improve these indicators can be effective in the sustainable development of cities. Consequently, in the study, the relationship between physical indicators of urban space and citizens' walking rate in Qaen city neighborhoods is analyzed. Data and Method The general approach of the present study is descriptive-analytical. This research is applied research and correlational research that seeks to investigate the relationship between a set of variables. The data collection method is library and field study. Statistical population is the inhabitants of Qaen city, that are about 43,000 people. The sample size is 360 people and the sampling method is simple random. The share of each neighborhood in this sample size was determined based on the population share of that neighborhood from the whole city. The dependent variable in this study is citizens' walking rate and the independent variable is composed of the physical-environmental factors, such as access to diverse land uses(land use mix), visual quality of urban spaces, quality of sidewalks, and connectivity of the street network. Multiple regressionhas been used to analyze the data and test the hypotheses. Results and Discussion The results suggest that there is a positive relationship between the level of land use diversity and the rate of citizens' walking. So it can be expected that with the increase in the land uses diversity in urban neighborhoods, the probability of walking will increase. The land uses diversity and proximity of residential units to various urban and neighborhood activities (commercial, office, green space, schools, parks, restaurants etc.) makes less need to use motor vehicles and instead, walking is considered as a basic mode of mobility within neighborhoods. On the other hand, the mixture and diversity of land uses in an urban area can cause more people to be present in urban spaces and this presence increases the sense of security that encourages walking. Another finding is that the connectivity of the street network has a positive effect on the level of citizens’ walking. In fact, the connectivity of streets, based on the frequency of intersections and their short distance from each other in a range, helps to connect multiple paths and, on the other hand, reduce the speed of vehicles. This makes it possible, firstly, to select a variety of routes for walking within the neighborhood, and secondly, due to the close distance of the intersections in reducing the speed of motor vehicles, the safety of walking increases. The results also showed that the effect of sidewalk quality is significant on people's walking rate. Thus, it can be said that improving the quality of sidewalks can increase the desire of citizens to walking. However, the relationship between visual quality and walking in the neighborhoods of Qaen city was not conformed. So the visual quality of urban spaces (beauty, cleanliness, lighting, etc.) has not affected the level of citizens’ walking. Conclusion The study examined four important physical indicators of walkability to determine how much it affects walking in Qaen city. According to the findings, 3 indicators including diversity of land use, connectivity of the street network, and sidewalk quality have a positive and significant effect on the amount of walking, but the visual quality indicator does not have a significant effect on people's walking. Thus, it can be said that by improving these three indicators along with social and cultural planning, citizens' walking rate is expected to increase in this small city.

TThis article tried to redefine the human scale to measure its hidden dimensions in the success of implemented urban projects along with other criteria of success. The purpose of this article was to better promote urban plans in the historical contexts of the country with the correct definition and focus on the dominant and common criteria of success. Therefore, restoration projects (improvement and renovation) implemented in the 1380s SH in the 12th district of Tehran have been considered for this work as a case study. The research method here was qualitative and quantitative, using coding concepts to redefine, Delphi technique to select designs, then ranking them through analytic hierarchy process. The qualitative interpretation of the concept of human scale in urban design literature, the degree of compliance in selected projects with other criteria and the degree of the overall success of each project is compared. That is, it can be mentioned as a common and complete limit in successful designs and spaces of the city. The share or percentage provided by this criterion, by the definition of this research, in each project, represents an acceptable ratio of the total success criteria of a project. Also, with the same relative conditions, among the internal concepts of the human scale, the role of popular participation, i.e. the non-physical dimension, is the highest in the success of space and body

Nowadays, one of the concerns of urban planning is achieving urban sustainability in all dimensions, including social sustainability. According to the New Urbanism approach, a very important physical-spatial factor affecting social sustainability is the walkability. According to the followers of this approach, walkability can help to create a healthy and sustainable community. This paper has investigated the relationship between the walkability and the components of social sustainability in the city of Sabzevar by a survey research. The sample size is 400 people selected randomly and according to the population share of each neighborhood of the total population of the city. Pearson correlation was used to analyze the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The results of the research show the positive effect of walkability on place attachment, residential satisfaction and social equity in access to services, but walkability does not have a significant effect on the sense of security and social capital. In general, there is a significant relationship between walkability and social sustainability in neighborhoods. Therefore, it can be said that increasing the walkability in urban areas can help social stability.

Introduction Changes in urbanization after the Industrial Revolution and the emergence of modernism in urban planning have destroyed the traditional elements and structures of cities, and functional zoning has replaced the organic system and functional diversity of cities and urban neighborhoods. Based on this division, a special space was provided for each of the city's functions so that their performance did not interfere with each other and did not disturb each other. Because cities are complex, complex, and multifunctional systems, limiting them to four functions and separating them through segregation and zoning has reduced the efficiency of cities and thus imposed many problems on cities. Following the criticism of this model, postmodern urbanism was introduced, in which a kind of nostalgia for the past, lost truth, and the search for the lost meaning can be seen. Postmodernists are interested in mixing urban lands to enliven urban neighborhoods, emphasizing pluralism. Today, land use - the immediate vicinity of homes, places of activity and services in buildings, neighborhoods of mixed use and urban areas - has become an important principle for the good urban shape in the 21st century. In Iran, with the beginning of developments in the second half of the twentieth century, the city went out of its traditional form and took a step towards renewal and expansion. In the meantime, the city of Tabriz, as one of the most important historical cities in the country, has not been deprived of these developments. In this city, in addition to the traditional textures that have undergone changes, new areas have also been built around the criteria of modern urban designs. Poverty zones have also been added to the city without any plans. At present, it seems inevitable to return to the traditional concept of a neighborhood in order to achieve a sustainable and sustainable human city. Given the importance of this issue, this research firstly wants to measure the level of land use mix in different residential areas of Tabriz in the current situation and secondly it wants to know whether mixing land use in urban areas can be an incentive for pedestrians be on top of most residents? Methodology The type of research in this paper is practical and its review method is analytical-comparative. The data collection method has been performed both in the library and in the field. To measure the mixing of land uses, first, urban land uses in the study areas were classified into six categories: 1) residential land uses, 2) commercial land uses, 3) administrative and law enforcement land uses, 4) Cultural uses and leisure, 5) General uses such as educational use, health use and 6) Other uses. Then, through the entropy index and the Atkinson index, the amount of mixing in each of the three tissue tissues was calculated. Also, 588 people were selected using the Cochran's formula and the necessary information was collected through a questionnaire to collect the level of desire to access each user on foot in the neighborhoods of the study areas. The instrument for measuring the questionnaire was a 7-item questionnaire that included a five-item Likert scale that assessed respondents' views on how much they wanted to access different uses on foot. Finally, the relationship between the degree of desire to access pedestrians and the level of mixing of users through Pearson correlation coefficient was evaluated. Results and discussion Based on the two main components of this research, namely pedestrian and mixed use, the neighborhoods of traditional, modern and unplanned textures in Tabriz metropolitan area were compared, the results of which revealed many differences between different neighborhoods. According to the calculation of the Entropy index and the Atkinson index, the average land use mixed in traditional texture neighborhoods is 0.673 and 0.588, respectively; This indicates that land use mixed is more common in traditional neighborhoods than in modern and unplanned textile neighborhoods. Of course, there is a large gap between the use of mixed among the neighborhoods of traditional textures. The difference between the Entropy Index and the Atkinson Index in calculating the mixing rate is that the Atkinson Index shows a gap between the higher availability and changes in the ranking of some neighborhoods. In examining the relationship between the tendency of pedestrians to access the required land uses and the level of mixing of land uses in different contexts, different results were obtained. The result was a very high correlation between the two variables of mixed use and the tendency to access pedestrians in traditional tissue neighborhoods, but this correlation is less common between modern tissue and unplanned neighborhoods. Thus, neighborhoods of traditional textures, despite their physical problems (such as wear and tear, lack of proper infrastructure), are still considered human-oriented neighborhoods where the human scale prevails. Conclusion The results of this study are in line with most of the research conducted in this field, with the exception of one case mentioned in the background of the research. Jun and Hur believe that despite the strengthening of the centralized sidewalk with increasing land use mixing, other variables such as the prevailing social and economic conditions, such as poverty and insecurity, could affect the relationship between land use mix and the central sidewalk. In general, it can be noted that this research can have a small but important contribution to the impact of physical elements on the social environment. However, according to the dimensions of the study area, its findings cannot be generalized. Because multiple and complex factors can affect the level of social behavior of neighborhood residents. Therefore, various variables such as social, economic, and political factors can be studied in relation to the effect of the physical environment on the social behavior of citizens

Statement of the Problem: The design of the built environment plays a key role in confronting health challenges. Purpose: The present study aims to evaluate the impact of the urban form objective measures on the residents’ physical activity of two objectively different neighborhoods. Methods: In this study, the quantitative research method was applied based on analytical-descriptive techniques. The theoretical framework related to the built environment and physical activity was discussed. Objective measures of the built environment including residential density, land-use mix, and street connectivity combined into a walkability index were developed within a geographic information system in the District 14 of Isfahan using Arc GIS. Two neighborhoods were selected based on differences in the objective index of walkability while controlling for socio-economic variables. The physical activities of 100 residents of both neighborhoods were measured using the IPAQ questionnaire through face-to- face interviews. Results: In this study, 63% of individuals in the high-walkable neighborhood with a walkability index of 9.52 met the≥30 minutes of physical activity recommended, compared to 36% of individuals in the low-walkable neighborhood with a walkability index of 5.30. Urban form variables directly supported residents’ physical activity and walkability. People in the neighborhood with a higher rank in the variables of residential density, land use mix, and street connectivity had more walkability than the neighborhood with a lower rank in the mentioned variables. Innovation: The present study used a technical quantitative approach to investigate the effect of urban form variables on the residents’ physical activity of two neighborhoods in one of the deprived areas of Isfahan, Iran. These variables were studied separately and explained in terms of indicators reflecting the walkability index in the neighborhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem definition: Nowadays, most of the city's public spaces and streets, are being heavily dominated by the machines, due to the irregular increases in the vehicles' number, and living pattern's dependency on it. This issue has made a lot of problems in the civil matters, including increasing the ecological pollution, decreasing the public health, increasing the maintenance and repairing costs etc. For this reason, these days, walkability plans are considered as a solution for decreasing these problems. Imam Khomeini Street, located in Dezfoul city, is one of the main streets of the city, in which the riders and pedestrians' traffic is very high, causing several traffic problems in this part of the city Purpose: The purpose of this research is to check the possibility of implementing a walkability plan, around the central tissue of Dezful city, in terms of transportation and accessability dimensions. Methodology: The research method is descriptive–analytical, the data having been collected through the researcher-made questionnaire. In order to analyze the data, we benefited from single-sample T-test in SPSS software, also the structural equations modeling method, using Amos software. Results: in evaluating the plan's administration, in transportation dimension, according to data obtained from the T-test, the Significance level were under 0.05. For this reason, in transporting aspect, this plan is not appropriate to be executed, because its execution, causes problems in transportation. Innovetion: This paper compares two societies, using structural models, causing the possibility to modify the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Walking is the oldest way of human and natural right of urban space users especially in the neighborhood scale. After industrial revolution and advent of technology, "walking" lost its importance in the everyday activities of humankind. This tendency, in turn, resulted in decrease of physical interaction of people and consequently the quality of physical environment. The cities were filled with cars and noises. Accordingly, air and noise pollution was increased and the citizens were confronting with reduction in safety, security, physical health as well as social interactions. Simultaneously with this condition, the life quality and residential satisfactory were declined. While at the same time the cities are seeking for improvement of the environmental and life quality, reduction of fossil fuel consumption, improvement of physical and mental health of human, increase of social mutual relations and humanizing urban spaces, further approaches for formation of neighborhoods and pedestrian-oriented cities seem inevitable. Definition of the walk-able neighborhood extends beyond pedestrian concerns, as the ability to walk in a neighborhood indicates not only a type of mobility and means of travel, but also a type of sociability between neighbors. These trends together with each other likely affect the physical, mental, and spiritual health of people in the community. That is to say, measuring the pedestrian-orientation capacity of neighborhood can be considered as one of the principle components of desirable and satisfied environments. As well recognized, the mentioned factors can be assumed as the pre-requisite condition for residential satisfactory. What is the specific objective of current research is to understand the effective elements on neighborhood walk-ability from the viewpoint of residents and the rate of its effect on their residential satisfaction level, so that in this way their capacities and weak points are realized. Therefore, the possibility will be increased for more conscious programming for improving the quality of city and increase in the residential satisfaction while cognition of the existing quality. In this way, the objective of the current research is J to detect effective elements via measuring walking frequency during the weak and during of walking (quantitative aspects) and its pleasantness (qualitative aspect) as components for measuring walk-ability of neighborhood and to investigate their relation with individual and environmental specifications (independent variable). In the next step, the relation of walk-ability capacity with residential satisfaction is investigated. Comprehension of these relations has been performed by survey using a questionnaire filled by residents of o a neighborhood. During these studies, individual and environmental specifications were investigated from the viewpoint of 200 residents of Chizar neighborhood. Investigation and excavation of effective indicators were performed by use of correlation tests, Factorial analysis and multi-variable linear regression. In this study, the relationship between the frequency, duration and desirability of walking with the residential satisfaction in the neighborhood of residents have been studied. The overall deduction with regard to the analysis of the research hypothesis shows that despite the suitability of frequency of inhabitants' weekly walk (3.46 times), they experience a lower desirability for walking. The obtained results reveal that the average duration of their walking time is 30 minutes per time which certainly cannot be done except to walk as a mandatory activity. The main results indicate that there is no significant relationship between the frequency of walking in the neighborhood and the residential satisfaction. In other words, the number of presence in the neighborhood is not necessarily related to the quality of environment and residential satisfaction of residents. Therefore, the frequency of walking of the people is certainly mandatory and it is not because of the perception of people about the quality of the environment and residential satisfaction. On the other hand, there is a direct relationship between 'satisfaction' and 'duration of walking' in the neighborhood, regardless of the reason of walking (whether it is mandatory or optional). Therefore, it can be concluded that programming and providing strategies for increasing walking pleasantness lead to higher levels of residential satisfaction. Further development and use of the questionnaire and analyses of the gathered data from the instrument can help clarify what factors contribute to the resident satisfaction, if there are common factors, and if the factors have a theoretical order based on importance. This would contribute to the development of a theory of residential satisfaction. Demographic differences as well as similarities should also be explored in future research on walk-ability of neighborhood and residential satisfaction. Variables as age, gender, physical and mental abilities, and socio-economic levels need to be understood in relationship between neighborhood walkability and residential satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are many studies about the relation between built environments and physical activities in the field of public health, transportation, and urban planning in the past decade. These researches emphasized on the strong relation between accessibility to parks, recreational and sport services, stores and shopping centers, residential density, and street connections. These studies applied two main approaches: objective and subjective. The literature of physical activities and its relation with the urban structure has attracted wide attention in developed countries and also in some large cities of developing countries. The present study has attempted to examine this issue in a medium sized city, Qourveh, by seeking the following aims: First, investigating the relation between qualities of built environments and walk-ability. Second, comparing the outcomes of built environments to the self-reported information extracted from elderly people of the city. There are different methods for studying built environment and walk-ability. These methods have many common points and each of them has concentrated on particular investigation with its main concern such as purpose of walking, net residential density, land use mix, street connection but there is a lack in main criteria for assessing parking space. In this research the net residential density is the ratio of residential units which are allocated for residential uses. The street intersection density covers the number of intersections in all streets in km2 and finally land use mix is calculated using the following entropy: K is the set of land uses; P is the ratio of land area in statistical blocks which belonged to a specific use. The land uses are divided into five uses of residential, commercial, recreational, institutional and others. If the amount of entropy index (between zero and one) tends toward one, it indicates the higher level of mixed land use in statistical block (and vice versa). Then the value of each criterion is normalized using Z-score. This study used four criteria for measuring walk-ability: intersection density of streets, parking spaces in neighborhoods, net residential density and land use mix which were collected and illustrated with the help of GIS. The results show that the neighborhood of 2-2-3 had the highest potential for walking and the neighborhood of 2-1-1 had the lowest walk-ability. The potential of walk-ability are ranked in three categories as low, moderate and high. To analyze the level of sensitivity in each method of classification, the methods of Geometric Interval, Equal interval and Natural breaks were applied separately. The results obtained from all three classifications show that 17 percent of the people live in neighborhoods with low walk-ability. The geometric interval shows that about 57 percent of the people live in neighborhoods which have low quality of life. To make a decision for selecting the neighborhoods for validity, a comparison study between neighborhoods with highest and lowest level of quality of life and walk-ability was done. Then each neighborhood was marked regarding to its quality of life and potential of walk-ability. The classifications of the neighborhoods show that only the neighborhood of 1-4-2 place in HW/HLQ. The neighborhoods of 3-3-3, 2-2-1 and 2-2-2 show the features of HW/ LLQ. Finally none of the areas obtain the quality of (LW/LLQ) and (LW/HLQ). This study followed the researches in the context of public health, transportation and urban planning which aimed to find the impacts of built environments on physical activities by focusing on a medium sized city (Qourveh). This study used Frank and his colleagues' walk-ability indexes which consider walk-ability apart from the level of life quality (as an indicator of socio-economic status). Also, the elderly people who live in areas with higher potential for walking exercise more by walking regardless of their socio-economic status. The research reveals that using walk-ability indexes is highly depended to information availability and this issue confines different scale of the present study. Obviously a comprehensive information bank of built environment including commercial uses and quality of side-walks can provide better results. This study has some limitations such as lack of proper and valid information regarding to the detail of land uses; different concept of a neighborhood in the mind of residents and administrative definitions; selecting elderly group as the only target group due to the time limitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]