Public perceptions of barriers to walk in urban areas of Lahore, Pakistan

Muhammad Ahsan; Nabeel Shakeel; Farrukh Baig

doi:10.6093/1970-9870/9353

Muhammad Ahsan Department of City and Regional Planning Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6114-5161
Nabeel Shakeel Department of City and Regional Planning, University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8576-0361
Farrukh Baig School of Traffic and Transportation Engineering Central South University, Changsha 410075, China https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5500-1989

DOI: https://doi.org/10.6093/1970-9870/9353

Keywords: Walking, Pedestrian perceptions, Accessibility, Walking constraints, Lahore

Abstract

Development strategies in urban areas of the less developed world are predominantly focused on motorized oriented planning which influenced the mobility practices of individuals. Previous literature has examined the suitability of an integrated public transport system and the potential of cycling in the cities of Pakistan, but walkability received less attention by researchers. To bridge this gap and to enhance the practice of walkability, this study investigates the public perceptions of individuals about walkability constraints in Lahore, Pakistan. A structured based questionnaire survey was conducted by using online platforms. A valid sample of 277 responses were analysed further with weighted factor and regression analysis technique to investigate pedestrian’s perceptions of walkability constraints respectively. Findings indicate pedestrians’ dissatisfaction with existing walking infrastructure is due to ignorance of walkability in transport plans, policies, and strategies executed by the government organizations. The integration of walkability has been highly neglected by transport planners and policymakers. Further, significant walkability constraints are elaborated that need to be resolved to enhance walkability in urban areas for the pedestrians of different age, gender, and income group.

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Author Biographies

Muhammad Ahsan, Department of City and Regional Planning Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey

He is currently pursuing his master’s degree in the Department of City and Regional Planning, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul as Turkey Burslari Scholarship holder. He has recently completed his Erasmus+ Traineeship program in Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven, Belgium in the faculty of Architecture. The author has completed his bachelor’s degree in City and Regional Planning from University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Lahore and endowed with two gold medals based on excellent educational performance. Mr. Ahsan’s research interests are related to affordable housing, urban regeneration of informal housing, urban transportation and walkability, and integration of spatial and statistical tools in urban planning.

Nabeel Shakeel, Department of City and Regional Planning, University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan

He is currently pursuing his PhD in Geography from the School of Earth and Enviornment, University of Canterbury, New Zealand. He is a forward-thinking transport planner and human geographer with specializations in the areas of travel behavior analysis, transport equity and accessibility, and spatial data analytics. The underlying goal of his research is to develop approaches for designing equitable and accessible transport services and analyze them with behavioral perspectives. He received his becholar’s degree in Urban Planning and Master degree in Transportation Planning.

Farrukh Baig, School of Traffic and Transportation Engineering Central South University, Changsha 410075, China

He received the M.S. degree in transportation planning and management from the Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning, China, in 2017. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree in traffic engineering at Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. He has been an Associate Member of the American Society of Civil Engineering since 2020. He serves various International journals as a reviewer and has attended multiple international conferences. His research interests include automated vehicles, smart cities, road safety, transportation planning, transport policy, and urban management.

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