Urban walkability considering pedestrians’ perceptions of the built environment: a 10-year review and a case study in a medium-sized city in Latin America

ABSTRACT

Numerous methodologies measuring walkability have been developed over the last years. This paper reviews the Walkability Index (WI) literature of the last decade (2009–2018) and highlights some limitations in the current approaches. Only a few studies have evaluated walkability in Latin America, mainly in big cities but not in medium and small-sized cities in the region, which present their own urbanisation dynamics, security issues, sidewalk invasion problems, and poor planning. Furthermore, most WIs in the literature use objective mesoscale variables to assess walkability in a given area. This paper contributes to filling these gaps by generating new evidence from a medium-sized city in Latin America to question if characteristics of the built environment encourage walking trips, as found in the literature, are transferable among regions. The study also proposes a novel index comprised of microscale and mesoscale built environment variables to assess walkability using virtual tools and considering users’ perceptions. The WI estimation relies on ranking probability models. The results of the case study suggest that subjective Security and Traffic Safety are the most crucial factors influencing walkability in these kind of cities, which is different from what is found in the literature from cities in developed countries where Sidewalk Condition and Attractiveness are the most important factors. Security appeared to be strongly associated with a subjective dimension, represented by the fear of crime or perceived risk for crime, instead of the actual occurrence of crimes. This result evidences the importance of the physical attributes of the real world and how they are captured, judged, and processed by pedestrians. Then, regional transferability of WIs needs to be done carefully. Finally, results in this paper highlight the importance of microscale built environment characteristics in the WI formulation in these cities. Results are in line with other research in some cities of the region, which found that microscale variables such as pavement quality and presence of obstacles on the sidewalks are relevant components to promote walkability.     

F型与直壁型护栏在客车撞击下的仿真研究

为了对比研究A类防撞等级中F型混凝土护栏和直壁型混凝土护栏的防护性能,建立两种护栏与客车的有限元模型,运用ANSYS Workbench软件中显式动力学模块,控制仿真碰撞的试验参数,将大客车模型以规定的初速度和碰撞角度进行计算机仿真碰撞试验,从车辆的加速度、车辆运行轨迹、护栏的最大动态变形量等方面综合对比两种护栏的防护性能。结果表明:相比直壁式护栏,F型混凝土护栏防撞性能、安全性能、导向性能较好。     

车辆隔热壁K值计算中空气层的处理方法

对轨道交通车辆多层复合结构的隔热壁进行隔热性能理论计算与仿真计算的对比,对隔热壁内部空气层的隔热性能进行分析。结论为:在车辆多层复合结构的隔热壁K值计算中,当空气层厚度大于一定厚度时,流体自然对流对隔热壁的隔热性能影响较大。利用多项式密度(Polynomial Denisity)和Boussinesq模型两种算法,对所得结论进行了验证。     

Green walking networks for climate change adaptation

Climate change (CC) potentially affects people travel behaviour, due to extreme weather conditions. This is particularly true for pedestrians, that are more exposed to weather conditions. Introducing the effect of this change in transport modelling allows to analyse and plan walking networks taking into consideration the climatic variable. The aim of this work is to develop a tool that can support planning and design of walking networks, by assessing the effects of actions oriented to increase resilience with respect to extreme weather conditions (CC adaptation).An integrated approach is used, thus combining transport and land-use planning concepts with elements of outdoor thermal comfort and network accessibility. Walking networks are analysed through centrality indexes, including thermal comfort aspects into a general cost function of links and weighted nodes. The method has been applied to the walking network inside the Campus of the University of Catania (Italy), which includes different functions and where pedestrian paths are barely used by people. Results confirm that this tool is sensitive to the variables representing weather conditions and it can measure the influence of CC adaptation measures (e.g. vegetation) on walking attitude and on the performance of the walking network.     

不同形状质量块的声学超材料结构隔声特性研究

随着对舰船声隐身性能要求的不断提高,舰船隔声材料不仅要轻质还应具有优良的隔声性能。夹层板结构具有轻质,且在高频段具有良好的隔声性能,但其在中低频段隔声性能不是很理想。薄膜型声学超材料结构具有良好的低频带隔声性能,因此本文将薄膜型声学超材料引入传统蜂窝夹层板结构中,设计新的超材料蜂窝夹层板结构。通过数值方法对不同形状质量块超材料结构的隔声特性进行分析,并探讨蜂窝边框形状、质量块大小以及薄膜预应力对米字形质量块超材料结构隔声特性的影响。     

基于Matlab油船意外泄油性能的程序设计

基于概率方法的意外泄油性能参数计算是2010年1月1日及以后新造船破舱稳性需要评估的性能之一,满足一定的衡准要求方可。根据油船的分舱分别进行船底破损概率和船侧破损概率的插值,然后按照一定的公式求出船底破损后与船侧破损后的泄油量的加权之和,即意外泄油性能参数。由于手工计算费时费力,文章基于Matlab平台,开发了意外泄油性能参数的自动计算程序模块。计算结果与文献结果相比较,证明了本程序的计算精度,具有较好的工程实用价值。     

悬挂式单轨平面圆曲线乘客舒适度控制标准取值研究

乘客舒适度标准是确定线路平纵断面设计参数最为重要的控制指标,也是必须满足的强制性指标。为合理平衡乘客舒适度与工程建设成本之间的跷跷板关系,通过系统总结国内外各种现有制式取值标准,就悬挂式单轨乘客舒适度控制标准取值开展理论分析研究,并提出相应建议。与平面圆曲线半径相关的乘客舒适度指标为车体偏转角及未被平衡离心加速度,随着偏转角和未被平衡离心加速度数值的增加,其对最小圆曲线半径的影响逐渐减弱,恶化舒适度条件并不完全等同于工程效益的减小。悬挂式单轨最大偏转角理论上可突破传统轮轨铁路7.7°的限制,但增大偏转角对限界造成的影响不可忽略。人体可忍受的振动持续作用时间与未被平衡离心加速度大小成反比,将加速度控制在0.4～0.8 m/s~2是合理的。     

Environmental and transport effects of warehouse relocationing: evidence from Norway

Reducing traffic volumes and CO2-emissions from freight transport has proven difficult in many countries. Although the increasing suburbanization of warehouses is seen as a relevant land use trend, comprehensive analyses of their impact remain scarce. This study uses real data in modeling transport, costs, environmental and modal effects from warehouse relocations around Oslo and Trondheim (Norway). Results indicate that for Oslo, traffic performance (ton-km), CO2-emissions, and transport costs increase following warehouse suburbanization. For Trondheim, transport performance and CO2-emissions increase less, while transport costs decrease marginally. We conclude that specific case characteristics (geography and trade patterns) are important in determining the strength and direction of effects, and expect that common concomitant developments (warehouse centralization and consolidation) would lead to more pronounced results. Our findings confirm some, but challenge other, findings from the relatively scarcely literature available. Finally, the study's more general insights and observations can help advance similar analyses beyond Norway.     

导电密封胶对不锈钢车体电阻点焊焊接性能影响研究

分析了电阻点焊原理,对相同的点焊搭接方式,分别采用3种工况进行焊接试验。3种工况分别采用相同焊接参数对搭接接触面涂导电密封胶和不涂导电密封胶的试件进行焊接;优化焊接参数后,对搭接接触面涂导电密封胶的试验件进行焊接。对3种工况下完成的焊接试件进行拉伸力检测试验、金相熔核尺寸检测和缺陷检测试验,对熔核直径、拉伸力、熔核内部缺陷的试验结果进行分析。试验结果表明:导电密封胶对电阻点焊的焊接性能存在影响;通过适当优化焊接参数,可以提高涂导电密封胶试件的焊接性能,焊接质量能够满足产品焊接要求。     

电子车辆识别技术的性能、安全性和成本分析及应用

电子车辆识别(EVI)是利用电子信号对车辆进行自动识别和监测的技术.随着RFID技术的不断发展,EVI应用的领域和范围不断扩大,这对EVI的性能、安全性和成本提出了更高的要求.