Esta dissertação apresenta uma exploração teórica sobre o tema da qualidade espacial na arquitetura em suas diferentes escalas, tendo em conta o ponto de vista de um caminhante sensível ao meio que o envolve. Entende-se, no contexto teórico a ser apresentado, que o tema da qualidade do espaço público urbano tem particular relevância no atual momento das cidades, em função da prioridade destinada a automóveis e veículos automotores nas soluções da espacialidade urbana, normalmente em detrimento daquele que usa a cidade a pé. O trabalho busca fundamentação na produção literária e nas teorias de um grupo de autores com produção reconhecida no tema da espacialidade na arquitetura e nos estudos da cidade. A investigação sobre a qualidade espacial da arquitetura a ser apresentada fundamenta-se em três pilares, dois descritivos e um metodológico. De um lado estarão as descrições da configuração espacial e, de outro, em paralelo, as descrições da percepção espacial, ou seja, o modo como as situações espaciais são vividas e apreciadas pelo observador, quando o corpo e os sentidos do usuário ocupam um papel principal. Trabalhar-se-á com a hipótese de que os efeitos de configuração, sobre a qualidade espacial, ocorrem simultaneamente nas escalas local e global (AGUIAR, 2016a). Na escala global, a configuração espacial será abordada, inicialmente, através da descrição morfológica e, num segundo momento, a partir da condição de acessibilidade/sintaxe espacial e seus impactos na dita vitalidade urbana. Na escala local, a configuração espacial será examinada através tanto das características de delimitação espacial/enclausuramento quanto das características da constituição do espaço. Na sequência, tomando o corpo como categoria de percepção, o trabalho examinará as condições de legibilidade, entendida como funcionalidade visual, e de comodidade, entendida como funcionalidade háptica. Tendo em conta as descrições da qualidade espacial acima delineadas, o trabalho aborda, ao final, o tema do movimento como categoria metodológica. Seguindo esse roteiro, busca-se trazer à luz um conjunto de descrições da cidade relevantes no entendimento daquilo que se entende como qualidade espacial urbana, esperando assim contribuir para o debate sobre esse tópico, tão relevante no momento atual nos meios acadêmico e profissional. / This dissertation presents a theoretical exploration of the subject of spatial quality at different scales in architecture, taking into account the point of view of a walker sensitive to his/her surrounding environment. It is understood in the theoretical context to be presented hereafter that the subject of the quality of an urban, public space is particularly relevant to the cities of today, given the prioritization of cars and other motor vehicles in the designs of urban spaces, usually at the expense of those favored by walkers. This work is grounded in the literary production and the theories of a group of authors recognized for their authority in the field of spatiality in architecture and in the study of cities. The investigation of the spatial quality of architecture to be presented here is based on two descriptive pillars and one methodological. On the one hand, there are the descriptions of the spatial configurations and, on the other hand and in parallel, there are the descriptions of the spatial perception, namely how the observer is living and appreciating spatial situations in which the user’s body and senses play the main role. We will work on the hypothesis that the effects of configuration on the spatial quality occur simultaneously at the local and global scales (AGUIAR, 2016a). At the global scale, we will initially approach the spatial configuration through the morphological description and, in a second phase, from the condition of spatial accessibility/syntax and its impacts on the urban vitality. At the local scale, we will examine the spatial configuration on the one hand through the characteristics of the special delimitation/enclosure and, on the other hand, through the characteristics of the space’s constitution. Then, taking the body as the category of perception, our work is looking at the conditions of legibility, understood as the visual functionality, and of commodity, understood as the haptic functionality. Taking into account the descriptions of the spatial quality outlined above, we eventually address the theme of the movement as a methodological category. Following this roadmap, we aim to bring light to a series of descriptions of the city that are relevant to the comprehension of what is understood as urban quality. We hope this will contribute to the debate on this issue, which is so important currently among both academic and professional circles.

Using data from the prospective Black Women's Health Study (BWHS; n=18,525), the impact of neighborhood walkability on incident diabetes and depressive symptomology was assessed. Neighborhood walkability was assessed for BWHS participants residing in Chicago, IL, Los Angeles, CA or New York, New York in 1995, 1997 or 1999 by factor-analyzing 14 components (e.g., sidewalk coverage, number/type of intersections, population/housing density) into a single continuous measure ("neighborhood walkability"), divided into four categories (least walkable, 2nd least walkable, 2nd most walkable, most walkable). Compared to women living in a most walkable neighborhood in 1995, women living in a least walkable neighborhood had a modestly higher hazard of incident diabetes over 16 years of follow-up (IRR=1.06; 95% CI=0.90-1.24) and a higher risk of depressive symptomology, using 1999 and 2005 Center for Epidemiologic Studies (CES-D) scores (CES-D≥16: RR=1.02, 95% CI=0.94-1.11; CES-D≥25: RR=1.18, 95% CI=1.02-1.37). Associations with incident diabetes were strongest among women who resided in a higher SES neighborhood, among the healthiest women (lowest body mass index, most frequent vigorous exercise), and when follow-up was lagged four or 10 years, while associations with depressive symptomology were strongest among women who resided in Los Angeles, who engaged in no vigorous activity at baseline, or who averaged less than one per hour travelling in a car or bus. Neighborhood walkability and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) were strongly inversely related; disentangling these two aspects is a methodological challenge to assessing the health impact of the built environment. In a subset of 3,000 addresses, neighborhood walkability in 1999 was highly positively correlated (r=0.70) with WalkScore® (a free, publicly-available measure relying upon walking distances to specified amenities) in 2012-13. Neighborhood walkability and WalkScore® were both valid measures of neighborhood walkability, best gauged using total length of bus routes, number of intersections, and total sidewalk length. WalkScore® has the potential to serve as a "standard" neighborhood walkability measure, allowing easier comparison of the health impact of the built environment across many studies.

Scholars have established that our geographic environments – including infrastructure for walking and food availability - contribute to the current obesity epidemic in the United States. However, the relationship between food, walkability, and obesity has largely only been investigated in large urban areas. Further, many studies have not taken an in-depth look at the spatial fabric of walkability, food, and obesity. The purpose of this study was two-fold: 1) to explore reliable methods, using sociodemographic census data, for estimating obesity at the neighborhood level in one region of the U.S. made up of rural areas and small towns – southern Illinois; and 2) to investigate the ways that the food environment and walkability correlate with obesity across neighborhoods with different geographies, population densities, and socio-demographic characteristics. This study uses spatial analysis techniques and GIS, namely geographically weighted multivariate linear regression and cluster analysis, to estimate obesity at the census block group level. Walkability and the food environment are investigated in depth before the relationship between obesity and the built environment is analyzed using GIS and spatial analysis. The study finds that the influence of various food and walkability measures on obesity is spatially varying and significantly mediated by socio-demographic factors. The study concludes that the relationship between obesity and the built environment can be studied quantitatively in study areas of any size or population density but an open-minded approach toward measures must be taken and geographic variation cannot be ignored. This work is timely and important because of the dearth of small area obesity data, as well an absence of research on obesogenic physical environments outside of large urban areas.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:00:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3382.pdf: 615559 bytes, checksum: 3d17746efd4996e12ce650b5a711dd13 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-10-26 / Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos / O objetivo deste trabalho é investigar a associação entre os diversos aspectos do ambiente de caminhada e a avaliação global do ambiente. A pesquisa tomará como fundamento o comportamento do pedestre frente a percepção de fatores relevantes do meio ambiente em que realiza as caminhadas. Isso permitirá entender a opção pela caminhada em função dos múltiplos usos dos solos, das diferentes tipologias urbanas, das infra-estruturas oferecidas, da estética do ambiente e da segurança e seguridade disponível. Para que essa relação pudesse ser estudada foi feito inicialmente uma revisão da literatura sobre a paisagem urbana e caminhabilidade. Dentre as metodologias para avaliar a qualidade da paisagem urbana foi escolhido o questionário Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Scale NEWS (SAELENS et al, 2003b). Este instrumento foi criado para avaliar a percepção dos residentes em ambientes comunitários, testado no Brasil por Malavasi (2006). Os dados necessários para a realização desta pesquisa foram coletados na cidade de São Carlos SP, cidade de porte médio com cerca de 220 mil habitantes. Com os dados obtidos, foi escolhida uma ferramenta estatística para serem analisados os resultados. Os resultados sugeriram que as características da paisagem urbana influenciam o comportamento do pedestre ao optar pelo modo a pé para a realização de suas viagens.

Esta dissertação apresenta uma exploração teórica sobre o tema da qualidade espacial na arquitetura em suas diferentes escalas, tendo em conta o ponto de vista de um caminhante sensível ao meio que o envolve. Entende-se, no contexto teórico a ser apresentado, que o tema da qualidade do espaço público urbano tem particular relevância no atual momento das cidades, em função da prioridade destinada a automóveis e veículos automotores nas soluções da espacialidade urbana, normalmente em detrimento daquele que usa a cidade a pé. O trabalho busca fundamentação na produção literária e nas teorias de um grupo de autores com produção reconhecida no tema da espacialidade na arquitetura e nos estudos da cidade. A investigação sobre a qualidade espacial da arquitetura a ser apresentada fundamenta-se em três pilares, dois descritivos e um metodológico. De um lado estarão as descrições da configuração espacial e, de outro, em paralelo, as descrições da percepção espacial, ou seja, o modo como as situações espaciais são vividas e apreciadas pelo observador, quando o corpo e os sentidos do usuário ocupam um papel principal. Trabalhar-se-á com a hipótese de que os efeitos de configuração, sobre a qualidade espacial, ocorrem simultaneamente nas escalas local e global (AGUIAR, 2016a). Na escala global, a configuração espacial será abordada, inicialmente, através da descrição morfológica e, num segundo momento, a partir da condição de acessibilidade/sintaxe espacial e seus impactos na dita vitalidade urbana. Na escala local, a configuração espacial será examinada através tanto das características de delimitação espacial/enclausuramento quanto das características da constituição do espaço. Na sequência, tomando o corpo como categoria de percepção, o trabalho examinará as condições de legibilidade, entendida como funcionalidade visual, e de comodidade, entendida como funcionalidade háptica. Tendo em conta as descrições da qualidade espacial acima delineadas, o trabalho aborda, ao final, o tema do movimento como categoria metodológica. Seguindo esse roteiro, busca-se trazer à luz um conjunto de descrições da cidade relevantes no entendimento daquilo que se entende como qualidade espacial urbana, esperando assim contribuir para o debate sobre esse tópico, tão relevante no momento atual nos meios acadêmico e profissional. / This dissertation presents a theoretical exploration of the subject of spatial quality at different scales in architecture, taking into account the point of view of a walker sensitive to his/her surrounding environment. It is understood in the theoretical context to be presented hereafter that the subject of the quality of an urban, public space is particularly relevant to the cities of today, given the prioritization of cars and other motor vehicles in the designs of urban spaces, usually at the expense of those favored by walkers. This work is grounded in the literary production and the theories of a group of authors recognized for their authority in the field of spatiality in architecture and in the study of cities. The investigation of the spatial quality of architecture to be presented here is based on two descriptive pillars and one methodological. On the one hand, there are the descriptions of the spatial configurations and, on the other hand and in parallel, there are the descriptions of the spatial perception, namely how the observer is living and appreciating spatial situations in which the user’s body and senses play the main role. We will work on the hypothesis that the effects of configuration on the spatial quality occur simultaneously at the local and global scales (AGUIAR, 2016a). At the global scale, we will initially approach the spatial configuration through the morphological description and, in a second phase, from the condition of spatial accessibility/syntax and its impacts on the urban vitality. At the local scale, we will examine the spatial configuration on the one hand through the characteristics of the special delimitation/enclosure and, on the other hand, through the characteristics of the space’s constitution. Then, taking the body as the category of perception, our work is looking at the conditions of legibility, understood as the visual functionality, and of commodity, understood as the haptic functionality. Taking into account the descriptions of the spatial quality outlined above, we eventually address the theme of the movement as a methodological category. Following this roadmap, we aim to bring light to a series of descriptions of the city that are relevant to the comprehension of what is understood as urban quality. We hope this will contribute to the debate on this issue, which is so important currently among both academic and professional circles.

The past literature suggest that transportation can impact quality of life (QOL) both directly and indirectly. The first part of this dissertation attempted to comprehensively evaluate the impact of transportation (specifically public transit, and walkability) along with physical built environment, and sociodemographic indicators on community QOL, and overall life satisfaction (OLS) of an individual living in his community. The study used an advanced technique of structural equation modeling (SEM) to evaluate the impact of these factors on community QOL and individual’s OLS. The study results revealed that physical built environment, public transit need for a community, perceived public transit importance for a community, quality of public transit services, quality of walkability conditions, ease of travel in a community (mobility indicator), and sociodemographic indicators significantly impact community QOL, and also individual’s OLS either directly or indirectly through community QOL mediating variable. The literature review suggests that accessibility to important non-work amenities improve people’s QOL. So, it is important to examine social equity in terms of individual’s ability to access non-work amenities that are important for their daily life interests. The second part of dissertation focused on equity analysis in terms of people’s ability to access non-work amenities through public transit, and walk in the US. The non-work amenities considered in this study are: 1) grocery store or supermarket, 2) personal services, 3) other retail shopping, (4) recreation and entertainment, and (5) health care facility. It is concluded that equity in terms of public transit access to non-work amenities is regressive for the older age people, people without driving license, individuals who are covered under Medicare/Medicaid program (elderly, low income, people with disabilities), and non-metro area residents disadvantaged groups. In terms of walk access to non-work amenities, it is concluded that older age people, people without driving license, physically disable people, unemployed and students, people living in non-metro areas, and females face injustice. These groups are already disadvantaged in society because of their financial, and physical health constraints and should be having sufficient and easy public transit and walk access to their daily needs.

The emerging global middle class, which is expected to double by 2050 desires more walkable, liveable neighbourhoods, and as distances between work and other amenities increases, cities are becoming less monocentric and becoming more polycentric. African cities could be described as walking cities, based on the number of people that walk to their destinations as opposed to other means of mobility but are often not walkable. Walking is by far the most popular form of transportation in Africa’s rapidly urbanising cities, although it is not often by choice rather a necessity. Facilitating this primary mode, while curbing the growth of less sustainable mobility uses requires special attention for the safety and convenience of walking in view of a Global South context. In this regard, to further promote walking as a sustainable mobility option, there is a need to assess the current state of its supporting infrastructure and begin giving it higher priority, focus and emphasis. Mobile phones have emerged as a useful alternative tool to collect this data and audit the state of walkability in cities. They eliminate the inaccuracies and inefficiencies of human memories because smartphone sensors such as GPS provides information with accuracies within 5m, providing superior accuracy and precision compared to other traditional methods. The data is also spatial in nature, allowing for a range of possible applications and use cases. Traditional inventory approaches in walkability often only revealed the perceived walkability and accessibility for only a subset of journeys. Crowdsourcing the perceived walkability and accessibility of points of interest in African cities could address this, albeit aspects such as ease-of-use and road safety should also be considered. A tool that crowdsources individual pedestrian experiences; availability and state of pedestrian infrastructure and amenities, using state-of-the-art smartphone technology, would over time also result in complete surveys of the walking environment provided such a tool is popular and safe. This research will illustrate how mobile phone applications currently in the market can be improved to offer more functionality that factors in multiple sensory modalities for enhanced visual appeal, ease of use, and aesthetics. The overarching aim of this research is, therefore, to develop the framework for and test a pilot-version mobile phone-based data collection tool that incorporates emerging technologies in collecting data on walkability. This research project will assess the effectiveness of the mobile application and test the technical capabilities of the system to experience how it operates within an existing infrastructure. It will continue to investigate the use of mobile phone technology in the collection of user perceptions of walkability, and the limitations of current transportation-based mobile applications, with the aim of developing an application that is an improvement to current offerings in the market. The prototype application will be tested and later piloted in different locations around the globe. Past studies are primarily focused on the development of transport-based mobile phone applications with basic features and limited functionality. Although limited progress has been made in integrating emerging advanced technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR), Machine Learning (ML), Big Data analytics, amongst others into mobile phone applications; what is missing from these past examples is a comprehensive and structured application in the transportation sphere. In turn, the full research will offer a broader understanding of the iii information gathered from these smart devices, and how that large volume of varied data can be better and more quickly interpreted to discover trends, patterns, and aid in decision making and planning. This research project attempts to fill this gap and also bring new insights, thus promote the research field of transportation data collection audits, with particular emphasis on walkability audits. In this regard, this research seeks to provide insights into how such a tool could be applied in assessing and promoting walkability as a sustainable and equitable mobility option. In order to get policy-makers, analysts, and practitioners in urban transport planning and provision in cities to pay closer attention to making better, more walkable places, appealing to them from an efficiency and business perspective is vital. This crowdsourced data is of great interest to industry practitioners, local governments and research communities as Big Data, and to urban communities and civil society as an input in their advocacy activities. The general findings from the results of this research show clear evidence that transport-based mobile phone applications currently available in the market are increasingly getting outdated and are not keeping up with new and emerging technologies and innovations. It is also evident from the results that mobile smartphones have revolutionised the collection of transport-related information hence the need for new initiatives to help take advantage of this emerging opportunity. The implications of these findings are that more attention needs to be paid to this niche going forward. This research project recommends that more studies, particularly on what technologies and functionalities can realistically be incorporated into mobile phone applications in the near future be done as well as on improving the hardware specifications of mobile phone devices to facilitate and support these emerging technologies whilst keeping the cost of mobile devices as low as possible.

Introduction. In Africa, studies on the associations between the perceived neighbourhood walkability and physical activity, particularly, by socio-economic status (SES) remain scarce. This study explores these associations by validating the Neighbourhood Environmental Walkability Scale (NEWS-Africa) in an urban setting of South Africa to gain a better understanding of the construct of neighbourhood “walkability”. Methods. A convient sample of residents from four suburbs in urban metropole (n=52, 18-65yr, 81% women) in the Western Cape Province, South Africa (viz. Langa, Khayelitsha, Pinelands and Table View) were recruited through invitations following community gatherings and church services. Measures were obtained on perceived neighbourhood walkability, self-reported and measured physical activity and socio-economic status. Langa and Khayelitsha represented two primarily low-SES townships, whereas Pinelands and Table View represented suburbs of a higher-SES. Participants completed the 76-item (13 subscales) NEWS-Africa survey by structured interviews and reported weekly minutes of walking for transport and recreation using items from the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Objective data on physical activity was collected using accelerometers, and ground-truthing was used to assess the neighbourhood environment using global information systems (GIS) in a 1000m buffer around each geocoded household. The research was carried out in three parts: 1) Evaluating the reliability and construct validity of the NEWS-Africa instrument between the two-SES groups. 2) Examining some of the walkability constructs and subscales of the NEWS-Africa instrument using GIS and ground-truthing, and the extent to which the SES of communities influenced these associations. 3) Examining the differences in self-reported physical activity (domains), measured physical activity (MVPA) when groups are divided according to SES, GIS walkability (1000m buffers) and if the data support the notion of utilitarian walking in low SES groups, irrespective of the built environment attributes. Results. For the combined-SES groups, the test-retest reliability indicated a good reliability with 10 out of the 13 scales of the NEWS-Africa being significantly and positively correlated. The Spearman’s correlations ranged from (rs = -0.43, p=0.00 to rs = 0.79, p=0.00). For construct validity of the NEWS -Africa instrument against self-reported physical activity, only three scales were related to walking for transport: Neighbourhood surroundings scale (rs= -0.34, p=0.01), Safety from Traffic scale (rs =0.34, p< 0.05) and people in the low-SES and combined SES perceived public bus/ train stops to be nearer than they actually were (rs =-0.50, P< 0.05). Of the 13 scales of the NEWS-Africa questionnaire, 6 were significantly correlated to GIS-measured walkability index parameters. The Roads and walking paths scale was positively associated with GIS-measured walkability (rs = 0.3), and the Stranger danger scale was negatively associated with GIS-measured walkability (rs = -0.4). When we considered GIS-measured Land use mix, 3 of the NEWS- Africa scales were correlated (For the entire sample, the scales including Places for walking, cycling and playing overall scale (rs = 0.3), and Neighbourhood surroundings scale (rs = 0.3), were positively associated respectively). Conversely, Stranger danger scale was inversely correlated (rs = -0.6). Intersection density measured with GIS was significantly and positively associated with the Roads and walking paths scale for all groups combined (rs = 0.3). For GIS-measured walkability, self-report physical and measured physical activity, there were no associations in any of the domains for self-reported physical activity within the 1000m buffer for all groups. However, for the objectively measured physical activity in the 1000m buffer, vigorous physical activity (rs = -0.39) was inversely associated with intersection density in the low-SES and moderate (rs = -0.29) and total MVPA (rs = -0.31) were inversely associated with Intersection density in the high SES. Conclusions: The overall results of the current study across all chapters generally show a mismatch between the perceived and objectively-assessed built environment, particularly in low-income communities. Furthermore, in low-SES communities, we failed to show the expected relationships between attributes of the built environment and physical activity, suggesting that physical activity in these communities is more utilitarian in nature, and as such, may not be as influenced by aspect of the built environment. In summary, the data suggest that the environment (including crime rates, poor access to physical activity facilities and public transportation predominantly made by buses) has less of an association with physical activity in LMICs and more disadvantaged communities, where physical activity is used for utilitarian, rather than recreational purposes. This study stemmed from the need to broaden research on the relationship between the built environment and physical activity, considering walkability constructs. These findings also suggest that the definition of the construct of walkability be re-examined, in relation to low SES settings.

Obesity has become a global epidemic due to changes in society and in behavioral patterns of communities over the last decades. The decline in physical activity is one of the major contributors to the global obesity epidemic. Thus programs, plans and policies that promote walking could be a possible solution against obesity and its comorbidities. That is because walking is the simplest and most common form of physical activity among adults, regardless of age, sex, ethnic group, education or income level. The characteristics of the built environment might be significant factors that affect people’s decision to walk. Thus, measurable characteristics can assist in determining the extent to which the built environment affects the people. These characteristics can also provide indirect evidence of the state of population health for the area under study. Towards the analysis and assessment of potential associations between a number of measures of the built environment and walking, Geographic Information Systems have an increasing acceptance. Composite measures, also known as Walkability Indices, are a promising method to measure the degree to which an area provides opportunities to walk to various destinations. The main objective of this research is to develop a method to model walkability drawing partially from previously developed Walkability Indices and walkability measures, and suggest eventually an improved Walkability Index composed of 6 parameters. These are: i) Residential Density, ii) Diversity – Entropy Index, iii) Connectivity, iv) Proximity, v) Environmental Friendliness, vi) Commercial Density – FAR. The chosen spatial unit of analysis is the Census Tract level. The method of buffering that defines spatial units around geocoded locations at a given distance is also employed in an attempt to suggest an improvement of previously used methods. The study area is New York City (NYC). The results imply that Manhattan is the most walkable Borough, while Staten Island is the least walkable Borough. It is also suggested that NYC has a centripetal structure, meaning that the historical center and the entire island of Manhattan is more developed, and more walkable, followed by the adjacent areas of the neighboring Boroughs of Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. The farthest areas of NYC’s periphery are consistently found to have the lowest walkability. Additionally, neighborhoods that are extremely homogeneous in terms of land-use and do not include considerable number of commercial parcels score very low. Hence, Census Tracts that are mainly characterized by primarily industrial land-use or contain large transportation infrastructures (e.g. ports, airports, large train stations) or even large metropolitan parks display limited walkability. The results and findings coincide to a satisfactory extent with the results of previous studies. However, the comparison is simple and barely based on easily observed patterns. As a result, the validity of the new Walkability Index might need further assessment due to limitations and lack of data. All types of limitations have been identified including limitations in data and in methodology. Suggestions for further research include possible additional parameters that can be employed in our Walkability Indices (e.g. crime rate, and separate parameter for parks and green areas) and further research whether the components of a Walkability Index should be weighted or not. In general, Walkability Indices are promising GIS applications that still need further research and development.

Sedan modernismen alltmer tog fart på 1960-talet har bilens framkomlighet haft en högre prioritet i stadsplaneringen jämfört med de gående i våra samhällen. Sedan millennieskiftet har prioriteringen successivt förändrats och idag är det i svenska kommuner tydligt att fotgängare prioriteras allt högre än de tidigare gjort. I första hand bör planeringen idag sträva efter att skapa en god transportinfrastruktur för fotgängare, framför biltrafikens behov och detta görs genom att skapa rätt förutsättningar för en god framkomlighet, säkerhet och trygghet samt attraktivitet på stadens gator, det vill säga en god walkability. Kunskapen om hur det ska genomföras finns det dock brister i. Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka gatornas framkomlighet, säkerhet och trygghet runt kvarteret Vågskålen i Eskilstuna. Därtill avser vi att undersöka hur gatorna uppfattas av gående i termer av gatornas attraktivitet för transporter till fots, promenader samt vistelse. Studien grundas i kvalitativa observationsstudier med kvantitativa inslag som kompletteras med en enkätundersökning. Studiens resultat visar att det är många faktorer som påverkar walkability och hur människor ser på gaturummet. Faktorer som påverkar är; beläggningen, barriärer, trängsel, biltrafik, aktiviteter, upplevelser, gestaltning, belysning, passiv övervakning och komfort på gatan. Det som är viktigt för de som går och vistas på gatorna är till stor del samma faktorer som belyses av forskare som viktiga för en god walkability.