Author(s)

A. M. LARRAÑAGA & H. B. B. CYBIS

Abstract

Measures to encourage non-motorized transport have received increasing attention among congestion mitigation strategies. This paper examines the relationship between walking trips in Porto Alegre and attributes of the built environment, analyzing the effect of trip purpose. To do so, binomial logit models were estimated. Variables were stratified according to mode (motorized and walking trips) and according to trip purpose: work, study and others. Independent variables considered in this research include population density, land use, street design, accessibility of shops and service, and accessibility of public transport and parking supply. This study shows that the effect of urban characteristics depends mainly on the purpose of the trip. On work and study trips, socioeconomic variables have greater predictive power in explaining the decision to walk than the built environment variables. However, on other purpose trips, built environment variables were shown to be stronger predictors. Neighborhoods with mixed land use, grid street networks and shops/services close to households encourage walking for recreational and shopping purposes, whereas free public parking and transit availability discourage this mode.

Keywords

Built environment, walking, travel behavior, pedestrian