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Walkway Network
Analysis Flow Diagram (PDF)
2011
Paper: Pedestrian Network Analysis Tool (PDF)
2015
Presentation: Latest Advances in Walkway Network Modeling and
Analysis (PDF)
2016
Oregon Walks slideshow on pilot project for groundtruthing the walkway
network: Growing Transit Communities Community Mapping Walk
(PDF)
Ellen says, "Many thanks to Scott Parker,
Chad Tucker, April Bertelsen, Neil Lohlein, Kirk McEwen, Kevin Martin,
Noel Mickelberry, Alan Gunn, Travis Driessen, Buff Brown, and all those
whose work and scrutiny have contributed to our understanding of this
new body of work."
Ellen
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What is the walkway network?
Why make
a model of it?
What analysis can be done with a walkway network model?
What tools are available for walkway network modeling and
analysis?
Q.
What is the walkway network?
A. The walkway network comprises all the public ways available
for pedestrian transportation: sidewalks along streets, shortcuts and
paths through parks, and—most importantly—crosswalks.
Q.
Why make a model of the walkway network?
A. No other network utility (such as sewers or water) is as poorly
modeled as the walkway network. An accurate model of the walkway network
for any city can be used for multiple purposes, including analysis and
routing.
Q.
What analysis can be done with a walkway network model?
A. Walkway network analysis tools can be used to measure walking
access, which in turn can inform decisions about what projects will promote
the greatest increase in walking access.
Q. Why care about walking
access?
A. Access is about the walkway network as utility rather
than as amenity. In the utility model we assume 100% demand for
walking access. That doesn’t mean everyone will walk, it just means
every household should have access to walk to important destinations—just
as every household should have access to clean running water.
Q. Can the model reflect
the real world experience of difficult street crossings?
A. For the walkway network model to accurately represent the
real world, it’s essential to weight each modeled segment with an
impedance value to reflect the difficulty of traversing the real segment.
(Ironically, the word impedance comes from a Latin root meaning “to
hinder the foot.”)
Q.
What tools are available for walkway network modeling and analysis?
A. Scott Parker developed several tools for use with ArcGIS that
automate the process of creating a walkway network model from existing
centerline data and assign impedance to the model using attributes like
speed, number of lanes, traffic control, and presence or absence of sidewalk
pavement. He also developed an integer routing engine that allows for
analysis in a few seconds. [2020 note: these tools are no longer being
maintained or made available]
The Walkway Network
Analysis Tools:
- Allow for quantitative
measure of pedestrian access—in minutes!
- Produce realistic walksheds
around destinations
- Provide a simple way to
test the walkability impact of any transportation project
- Can be used to prioritize
proposed pedestrian improvement projects
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