ASSESSING A WALKABLE ENVIRONMENT IN JALAN TUANKU ABDUL RAHMAN, KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v16i7.516Keywords:
walkable, enjoyable walkway, pedestrian walkwayAbstract
There is currently a wide discussion on promoting a walkable environment and improving walkability especially in city centre. Walking in the city is meant to solve numerous problems ranging from the city vibrancy, traffic congestion, environmental injustice, social isolation to the human health issues related to obesity crisis. This paper aims to examine the walkable environment of Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman as one of the busiest pedestrian urban places in the city centre of Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia. It investigates the pedestrians’ perception on their walking experience based on the walkable environment elements i.e. comfort, safety and levels of enjoyment. A participant observation and questionnaire survey technique were employed whereby the former involved with the researchers general physical evaluation of the site and the latter engaged a random sample of 120 pedestrians of Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman for a paper-based on street questionnaire survey. The findings suggested that the majority of the respondents were satisfied with the existing conditions of comfort and safety and hence, regarded Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman as a walkable area. However, their level of enjoyment was generally minimal suggesting that there are rooms for further improvement in the pedestrian area tocreate a better and more conducive walkable environment.
Downloads
References
Alfonzo, M. A. (2005). To walk or not to walk? The hierarchy of walking needs. Environment and Behaviour, 37, 808-836.
Bouscasse, H., Joly, I., & Bonne, P. (2018). How does environmental concern influence mode choice habits? A mediation analysis. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 59, 205-222.
Brown, B. B., Werner, C. M., Amburgey, J. M., & Szalay, C. (2007). Walkable Route perception and Physical Features: Converging Evidence for En Route Walking Experience. Environment and Behaviour, 39, 34-61.
Evans, G. (2009). Accessibility, urban design and the whole journey environment. Built Environment, 35(3), 366-385.
Handy, S., Xinyu, C., & Mokhtarian, P. L. (2005). Correlation or causality between the built environment and travel behavior: Evidence from Northern California. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 10(6), 427-444.
Jacobs, J. (1969). The death and life of great American cities. New York: The Modern Library.
Llewelyn-Davies (Firm). (2000). Urban design compendium. United Kingdom: English Partnership & The Housing Copporation, UK.
Lynch, K. (1960). A Imagem Da Cidade (The Image of the City) (1996th ed). Lisboa: Edicoes 70.
Newman, O. (2008). Creating defensible space. Darby, PA: Diane.
Owen, N., Humpel, N., Leslie, E., Bauman, A., & Sallis, J. F. (2004). Understanding environmental influences on walking. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 27(1), 67-76.
Parks, J. R., & Schofer, J. L. (2006). Characterizing neighborhood pedestrian
environments with secondary data. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 11(4), 250-263.
Rahaman, K. R., Lourenco, J. M., & Viegas, J. M. (2012). Perceptions of pedestrians and shopkeepers in European medium-sized cities: Study of Guimara-tildees, Portugal. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 138(1) 26-34.
Sarkar, A. K., & Janardhan, K. S. V. S. (1997). A study on pedestrian flow characteristics. Proceedings Transportation Research Board, 368, 232-238. Washington: (n.p.).
Shamsuddin S., Hassan N. R. A, & Bilyamin S. F. I. (2012). Walkable environment in increasing the liveability of a city. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 50, 167-178.
Shay, E., Spoon, S. C., & Khattak, A. J. (2003). Walkable environment and walking activity. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina.
Slater, K. (1985). Human comfort. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher.
Southworth, M. (2005). Designing the walkable city. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 131, 246-257.
Tarudin, N. F., Rashid, M. F. A., Kordi, N. E , Azmi, E. A., & Aziz, T. N. A. T. (2016). The Improvement on the Sidewalk in Commercial Areas at City Center in Malaysia. Journal of Applied Environmental and Biological Sciences. 6(9S)35-38.
Zakaria, J., & Ujang, N. (2015). Comfort of walking in the city center of Kuala Lumpur. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 170, 642-652.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright & Creative Commons Licence
eISSN: 0128-0945 © Year. The Authors. Published for Malaysia Institute of Planners. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
The authors hold the copyright without restrictions and also retain publishing rights without restrictions.