Publication and implementation of Walkable City Assessment Methods
Background and Objectives
As Japan faces a rapidly shrinking and super-aging population, urban downsizing is underway. However, it is not enough to simply make the city more compact. To maintain the vitality of the city and improve its attractiveness, urban renewal, starting with "comfortable neighborhoods that make people want to walk," was proposed at a roundtable meeting established by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in 2019, and the "Town Walkable Promotion Program" was to be launched in FY2020. In the research study project "Development of Walkable City Evaluation Method," which we have been working on since 2020, we have studied a comprehensive evaluation method for walkable cities (Walkable Cities) by referring to studies and case studies in Europe and the United States. The purpose of this social contribution project is to compile and publish the results of the project in the form of papers and books, as well as to implement the results of the walkability assessment of Japanese cities in cooperation with the Urban Affairs Bureau of the MLIT.
Expected Results
The MLIT's "Machinaka Walkable Promotion Program" aims to make cities more compact, revitalize city centers, achieve a low-carbon society, and ultimately create a comfortable living city that is in harmony with the environment. The research project "Development of Walkable City Evaluation Method" reviewed domestic and international literature and case studies on walkability indicators and found that the scales covered ranged from the urban level to micro pedestrian space design and that there were three main directions for indicators (objective methods, subjective methods, and methods that utilize new technologies). Furthermore, it has become apparent that the evaluation methods used vary, or should vary, depending on what outcomes are being aimed for through the promotion of walkables. Meanwhile, the Urban Bureau of the MLIT has been studying evaluation methods since FY 2020 and has conducted evaluation trials in several cities. As a result, the MLIT is focusing primarily on the micro-scale, with studies focusing on subjective evaluations by people. This can be attributed to the fact that the MLIT has set "a comfortable and pleasant town center where people want to walk" as an outcome. In the first year of the project (FY2023), a review of previous studies and case studies will be compiled, the evaluation methods worked on in the previous project will be organized, and a manuscript for publication in the second year (FY2024) will be prepared. In addition, we will cooperate with the Urban Bureau of the MLIT to propose and implement a comprehensive walkability evaluation method that considers the conditions wherein each city is located.