Determining the influence of physical and spatial design of commercial streets on pedestrian distribution

Streets were known as a significant part of open public spaces, while they are always a scene of conflicts, confrontations and competitions. Motivating people for walking and outdoor activities would be one of the most important effects of sustainable urban environment. A poor designing of street network could be lead to the use of the automobile over other travel modes; creates the need for excessive out-of-direction travel; divides neighborhoods; and limits accessibility to the property and neighborhood facilities. In contrast, well design street network encourages pedestrian and bicycle travel.The aim of this paper is to indicate the impacts of physical and spatial design of eleven Commercial Streets in the Rasht, in province of Gilan, on walking behavior and attitudes of people. In this research, the inquiry employed a multiple-method survey involving a variety of techniques including direct observation, pedestrian counts to collect data and Space Syntax axial line analysis for determining pedestrian route network integration values on the pedestrian distribution of a commercial street. Correlations were used to examine the association between perceived design characteristics and total walking. The regression models were used to predict total walking. The result shows that streets with a high population should have various spaces with impressive spatial and physical characteristics such that each user with a different attitude is able to recognise their required space and use it with satisfaction.

Keywords:

Street , Pedestrian , Physical environment , Spatial design , Space syntax