The Walkability of Bogotá: Objectives and Socio-spatial Conditions that Promote and Limitthis Experience

Résumé 0

Studies have approached walking from literature, phenomenology, health research, sociology, gender studies, urban management, and architecture. However, few in our environment have collected and systematized assessments of city residents based on their own experiences as pedestrians. Thus, the present research seeks to shed some light on this issue. The article gathers the results of a correlational study that explores how Bogotá residents assess the walkability of the city. Through an ad hoc questionnaire comprised of 50 items, a total of 305 people from different age groups, genders, and residents of different localities assessed the different social and physical conditions of public space relevant to making the city walkable. A multidimensional scaling analysis, the Smallest Space Analysis (SSA), allowed researchers to establish some key factors when determining the purposes, the place one walks, and the socio-spatial conditions associated with the walking experience. The results are discussed based on the implications walking in public spaces have on the quality of urban life in the city, the formulation of public policy planning, and urban management.