Elsevier

Journal of Transport Geography

Volume 28, April 2013, Pages 124-136
Journal of Transport Geography

Pedestrian environment and route choice: evidence from New York City and Hong Kong

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2012.11.013Get rights and content

Abstract

To better understand the relationships between walking and the environment, this study tests the feasibility of route choice modeling based on pedestrians’ walking behavior. 321 pedestrians were interviewed in two urban neighborhoods (one in New York City and one in Hong Kong) to identify their actual walking routes. Then, we generated potential alternative routes using a modified labeling approach, measured the route environment through environment auditing and secondary data, estimated two multinomial probit models, and compared the results between the two neighborhoods and between the alternative choice models. It is found that route choice models based on revealed preferences could be a valid and complimentary method for assessing the pedestrian environment, and they could help to prioritize or justify investment related to pedestrian infrastructure. In contrast, contingent rating based on stated preference may overestimate the importance of more tangible attributes, such as distance and safety, because pedestrians were often unable to articulate intangible amenities, such as streetscapes and façade designs. However, route choice modeling seems to perform well only when the pedestrian system offers many route alternatives and pedestrians do have experience with multiple routes.

Highlights

► We model pedestrians route choice in New York City and Hong Kong. ► Route choice is affected by pedestrian environments besides route distance. ► We quantify the monetary value of key pedestrian environmental attributes. ► Route choice modeling is able to assess the intangible environmental attributes. ► Route choice modeling does not work well for a network with few route alternatives.

Section snippets

Background

Walking has become an increasingly popular topic as more people realize that it is not only essential for sustainable mobility but that it also has direct implications beyond transportation, including public health and social capital (Leyden, 2003). Improving walkability may be an effective solution for mitigating congestion, promoting environmental conservation, encouraging physical activity, reducing obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and boosting community livability (Blanco et

Literature review

Because pedestrians move more slowly than vehicles, they are more aware of and sensitive to their surroundings (Rapoport, 1987, Sauter and Tight, 2010). Accordingly, numerous features in the physical and social environment, many of which are difficult to quantify, such as building design, signage, and streetscape, can affect the experience and behavior of pedestrians. The assessment of these features is a fundamental question for policy initiatives that aim to encourage walking activities by

Research design

The objective of this research is to test the feasibility of route-choice modeling to quantify the perceived utility of the pedestrian environment as revealed by pedestrians’ actual behaviors. The focus is not on developing better route-choice models, but on applying existing models to a relatively new field. Neither is it on the thorough understanding of the pedestrian environment and walking behavior, but on testing the potential of a new approach to understand the environment and behavior.

Case studies: Hong Kong and New York City

We chose two mixed neighborhoods, one in Hong Kong (HK) and one in New York City (NYC), as case studies because they share some common features in terms of high density, prevalent walking on streets, and diverse pedestrian environments, although they differ in terms of cultural background, resident lifestyle, and streetscape design.

For NYC, the neighborhood is Greenwich Village on the west side of Lower Manhattan. The study area is approximately 0.4 square miles and is bounded by West Houston

Data collection and route choice modeling

To develop a route-choice model, we must first identify decision makers (pedestrians), obtain their decisions (chosen route), generate considered alternatives (non-chosen routes), collect route attributes, and define the model specification.

Analysis results

We start with the pedestrians’ subjective rating of key pedestrian environmental features and then compare it with the results from their actual decisions revealed by the route choice models. Pedestrians were asked to rate their general satisfaction with the pedestrian environment, and the importance of the seven features on a scale of 1–7 (7 is the most important and 1 is the least important): length of walk, familiarity with the environment, number of street crossings, street-crossing waiting

Conclusion

The assessment of the pedestrian environment is critical to designing proactive policies to improve walking alternatives and encourage walking activities. Current assessment methods either overlook the quantification of the utility of environmental features or rely on pedestrians’ subjective preferences. This study proposes an assessment method based on pedestrians’ route choices that is able to quantify the utility of the pedestrian environment from revealed preferences. The results indicate

Acknowledgement

This research project was funded by the “Managing World Cities” initiatives of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Hong Kong.

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