Enhancing Human Experience as a Key Factor to Encourage Walkability in Neighborhoods

Abstract

This research investigates the approach for encouraging walkability in neighborhoods by enhancing the human experience of the outdoors. The research is focused to explore this relationship in the context of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In that sense the research firstly explored different literature reviews for the notion of walkability in neighborhoods, its importance, the different indicators that encourage walkability and it was concluded in chapter two with the walkability framework that has 7 categories; safety, infrastructure, comfort, convenience, density, diversity, and outcome, and 22 subcategories, to be followed with exploring the notion of human experience, its definition and type, and its relation to the urban design and it was concluded in chapter three that human experience has three types; physical experience, mental experience, and emotional experience. The research went through a mix of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies; structured interviews to 9 experts in the field of urban design, and surveys for 50 people who practice walking in neighborhoods. It resulted in weighing the importance of the 7 walkability categories and 22 sub-categories. Furthermore, it linked the 59 walkability indicators with the different types of experience. The final framework of Walkability and Human Experience is meant to show the strongest and most influential walkability indicators that positively affect human experience of its different types. It links each indicator to the three types of experience solely, so it gives a clear understanding of how much the indicator is related to the type of experience (shown as a percentage). The framework will aid and assist planners, officials, and decision-makers by allowing them to choose the most effective walkability indicators in enhancing human outdoor experience.