Walkability Index in the Urban Planning (1 PDH)

“Did you walk 10 000 steps today?” This is the question that the International Physical Activity and the Environment Network (IPEN) asks its respondents. The IPEN project proposes a method of evaluation of an urban environment using geographical information systems. The method was transformed into a program, a "Walkability Toolbox" for ArcGIS software at Department of Geoinformatics. The advantage is that the program automatically calculates and examines the connection between the urban structure and the physical activity of dwellers. This article covers the relationship between an urban area and the mobility of the people who live there. It also covers the development of the "Walkability Toolbox" using the connectivity index, the entropy index, the FAR index and the household density index.