Walkability vs. walking: assessing outcomes of walkability at Southeast False Creek,Vancouver, Canada

ABSTRACT

If a neighbourhood is designed and built according to best practices for walkable neighbourhood design, will people respond and walk in the public realm? This was a narrowly focused case study of a brownfield redevelopment in Vancouver, Canada, intentionally designed to be highly walkable. Methods included a Walk Score® analysis, both in-person and video observational studies of people using three public spaces over a nine-month period, supplemented with questionnaires. Observational studies and questionnaires revealed high numbers of people using the public spaces for walking and active mobility throughout the year in all weather conditions, validating a very high Walk Score®. However, the study also uncovered unexpected patterns of walking and motivations for walking, which reveals the value of post-occupancy observational and survey studies to fully understand how specific attributes of the neighbourhood landscape may significantly change what people value and how they use the public realm.