Walkable districts
Introduction
Walkability, in urban planning, is the accessibility and ease of transit of a public space for pedestrians, providing them with comfort and safety in their movements.[1] The greater the walkability, the greater the benefits for health, the environment and the economy.[2][3][4] It is a neologism translated from the English term walkability.[1].
Walkability Features
Some characteristics of “pedestrianized” or “walkable” spaces are:
• - Pedestrian priority in the use of the street, with urban designs that put pedestrian mobility and safety before road traffic.
• - Linear trajectories for pedestrians, without architectural barriers that generate detours and without terraces "Terrace (bar)") that occupy most of the pedestrian space.
• - Presence and quality of sidewalks, with lowered curbs that facilitate crossing for people of all ages and abilities.[1].
• - Connectivity of pedestrian areas with each other, with sidewalks or pedestrian streets that cover the entire urban environment, with zebra crossings at regular intervals.
• - Mixed land use, with residential density close to different services (shops, restaurants, bars, theaters, schools, parks, sports centers, etc.)[5].
• - Presence of trees and vegetation that generate shadows, avoiding heat islands.
• - Presence of friendly urban furniture, with benches "Banco (furniture)") every certain distance that allow rest, as well as sources of drinking water.
• - Frequency and variety of buildings, with close distances, without large gaps between them, or too large urban parks.[1].
• - Blocks "Manzana (urbanism)") not too large and with frequent entrances to the buildings so that the detours are not too long.
• - Visibility and transparency, which include public lighting, the elimination of elements that impede vision, such as parked vehicles, which can create hiding places and a greater feeling of insecurity, as well as those elements of urban furniture that hinder observation of the street.[5].