A walking audit is an assessment of the

walkability Walkability is a term for planning concepts best understood by the mixed-use of amenities in high-density neighborhoods where people can access said amenities by foot. It is based on the idea that urban spaces should be more than just transport ...

pedestrian A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In modern times, the term usually refers to someone walking on a road or pavement, but this was not the case historically. The meaning of pedestrian is displayed with t ...

access of an external environment. Walking audits are often undertaken in

street A street is a public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt ...

environments to consider and promote the needs of pedestrians as a form of transport. They can be undertaken by a range of different stakeholders including: *Local community groups *Transport planners / engineers *Urban designers *Local police officers *Local politicians / councilors Walking audits often collect both quantitative and

qualitative data Qualitative properties are properties that are observed and can generally not be measured with a numerical result. They are contrasted to quantitative properties which have numerical characteristics. Some engineering and scientific properties are ...

on the walking environment.

Pedestrian Environment Review System

The Pedestrian Environment Review System (PERS) is the most developed and widely used walking audit tool available. PERS is “a systematic process to assess the pedestrian environment within a framework that promotes objectivity”. The environment is reviewed from the end user perspective of a vulnerable pedestrian. PERS consists of: *An on-street audit process *A GIS software package to consolidate, map and display results A PERS walking audit collects both quantitative and

on six types of facility in the street environment: *Links (footways, footbridges, subways) *Crossings *Routes *Public Transport Waiting Areas (bus stops, tram stops, taxi ranks) *Public Spaces (parks and squares) *Interchange Spaces (between different modes of transport) Each facility is rated on a seven-point scale (-3 to +3) for different parameters such as effective width, dropped kerbs, permeability, or personal security. PERS also rates disabled peoples access. These PERS ratings are linked to Red/Amber/Green (RAG) colour-coding. The PERS software allows users to analyse and display walkability data using GIS maps, charts and quick win recommendation lists. PERS was originally developed in 2001 by TRL and

London Borough of Bromley The London Borough of Bromley () is the southeasternmost of the London boroughs that make up Greater London, bordering the ceremonial county of Kent, which most of Bromley was part of before 1965. The borough's population is an estimated 332,336 ...

. The software tool (PERS 1) was designed to allow transport professionals and community groups to quickly and cost-effectively assess and rate the walkability of local streets and recommend improvements for pedestrians. This version of the tool assessed Links, Crossings, and Routes. In 2005 Transport for London and TRL co-developed PERS 2 which expanded the original system to include Public Transport Waiting Areas (PTWA), Public Spaces and Interchange Spaces. In 2009 transport for London and TRL further developed the tool into PERS 3 which included a built-in GIS mapping tool and the ability to add photographs and

georeference Georeferencing means that the internal coordinate system of a map or aerial photo image can be related to a geographic coordinate system. The relevant coordinate transforms are typically stored within the image file ( GeoPDF and GeoTIFF are examples ...

s of quick wins (low cost, easy to implement physical improvements). PERS 3 also has the added functionality of automatically generate quick-win recommendation work lists for Highway work crews. The PERS tool has been used by organisations all over the world and has been used extensively in London to assess over 200 km of the street network.

Using walking audits to make a business case

Research undertaken by the

Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) was an executive non-departmental public body of the UK government, established in 1999. It was funded by both the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for C ...

(CABE) have used the PERS walking audit method to show: "how we can calculate the extra financial value that good street design contributes, over average or poor design". The study found a direct link between an increase in PERS scores (and therefore an increase in the quality of a street for pedestrians) and residential house prices. The study demonstrates how PERS can be used to show how: "clear financial benefits can be calculated from investing in better quality street design".CABE (2007) Paved with Gold
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References

External links

TRL PERS Walking Audits

Film of PERS Walking Audit Tool demo

Transport for London - What is PERS?

RateMyStreet crowdsourcing web-tool for rating walkability
Urban studies and planning terminology Sustainable transport Pedestrian infrastructure {{Walking

Pedestrian Environment Review System

Using walking audits to make a business case

See also

References

External links