The contribution of a tramway to pedestrian vitality

  • John Zacharias Laboratory of Urban Process Modelling and Applications College of Architecture and Landscape, Peking University, Beijing https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1456-0143
Keywords: Pedestrians, Tramway, Vitality

Abstract

Pedestrian movement in the public environment is important in supporting local public life, commerce and physical activity. Countering the decline in the presence of people on the streets is a major focus of urban planning in a wide variety of urban contexts. This research investigates the contribution of a tramway to local pedestrian movement, using the Hong Kong Tramway (HKT) as a case. Flow counts were collected in a field study of the tram corridor that enabled regression analysis. Pedestrian flow was positively related to the following, in descending order of importance: feeder street pedestrian flow, tram alighting rates and irregular crossing rates. These factors cumulatively account for 39% of pedestrian volume on tram corridor segments. Pedestrian flow is negatively related to the degree of barrier fencing and block size. The tram is also used to transit between walking segments, effectively enlarging the individual walking environment. The findings suggest spatial planning measures associated with higher pedestrian flow.

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Author Biography

John Zacharias, Laboratory of Urban Process Modelling and Applications College of Architecture and Landscape, Peking University, Beijing

The author’s interests lie in the space between the planned environment and human behaviours. How plans and designs condition behaviours but also how behaviours transform space are central investigations in the research. Environmental perception is a second strain of research, which interfaces with behaviour when we examine the study concerns cognitions relating to actions. The studies on these topics published in international journals are typically conducted in real environments at a variety of urban scales.

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Published
2020-12-31
How to Cite
ZachariasJ. (2020). The contribution of a tramway to pedestrian vitality. TeMA - Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, 13(3), 445-457. https://doi.org/10.6092/1970-9870/7197