Mapping street accessibility and walkability in Zuera(Zaragoza, Spain)by

Ramiro Aznar Ballarín

Dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the degree of MScin Urban SustainabilitySupervisor: Steve MussonSeptember 2010Word Count: 19,194

To the memory of my mother, Esther.

Abstract

In this dissertation I have attempted to analyze the street accessibility and walkability of Zuera(Zaragoza, Spain). In this regard, a group of eight physical variables (

Slope

Traffic load

On-street park acreage

Sidewalk quality and width

Pedestrian comfort amenities

Disabled accessibility structures

Physical barriers

) were gauged by walking, and afterwards they werecombined in order to generate a set of accessibility and walkability indexes:

Walking Space Index

(WSI),

Street Quality Index

(SQI) and

Walkability Index

(WI), for pedestrians; and

Disabled Accessibility Index

(DAI) and

Disabled Walkability Index

(DWI), for people withimpairments. In addition, the progress of this work has been able to follow via blogging andother new social networks. The results were presented in several maps using GeographicInformation Systems and image editing software. The final map-drawings pointed potentialareas which lacked of street accessibility and walkability. Therefore, these cartographicrepresentations showed the challenges and opportunities in which the inhabitants of Zuera couldfocus in order to enhance the walking conditions of their town, thus improving the quality of lifeof the urban community.