An MIT researcher has conducted a study on pedestrian footfall near the university's campus in Kendall Square, East Cambridge. The findings could help to "fill the void" in urban planning and ensure that decisions positively impact pedestrians as well as traffic, according to an article from the World Economic Forum.
The research model used by MIT Associate Professor Andres Sevtsuk and his team analyses foot traffic while emphasising the functionality of a neighbourhood’s elements, such as how many amenities are within walking distance. It is based on property-level data from Cambridge between 12 to 2pm and from 4 to 8pm.
“This model allows us to estimate how many pedestrian journeys are likely to occur,” Sevtsuk says in the article. “It also forecasts trip distribution. That depends directly on what’s available around pedestrians and how many destinations they can access on foot.”
While it is normal for a traffic impact assessment report to be required for new developments, there is currently no standard equivalent for pedestrian traffic. Sevtsuk emphasises that his model could be applied to almost any urban setting in different ways – to estimate pedestrian flows, to help with zoning decisions, and to make sure retail frontages are in places with significant pedestrian flow, among other things.
