GIS Protocols: Measuring the Pedestrian Environment

Project summary:

This project built on work already completed for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and focused on revising a manual of GIS protocols developed to measure environmental variables associated with physical activity. After revision, this manual was usable by all in the transportation field, rather than just those doing research on walking as a physical activity. The manual contains six sections. Chapter 1, regarding conceptual issues, deals with the organization of the manual, how it was produced, data sources, and measurement geographies. Chapter 2 includes protocols for measuring items that are not in themselves possible measures of walkability but that are components of such measures (one example is land area). Chapters 3 though 6 examine measurements of density, pedestrian infrastructure, mixed use, and street patterns. Appendices and references are listed at the end of the manual.