Walkability der Stadt Regensburg – eine Mixed-methods-Untersuchung mittels QGIS und Walk Audits

Urban sprawl, climate crisis, and demographic change pose new challenges for the sustainability, quality of life, and health in cities. One concept of health-oriented urban planning is the walkability of urban neighborhoods. This study aimed to evaluate the current walkability and pedestrian friendliness of Regensburg with a view towards possible improvements.

The mixed-methods study design served to assess quantitative and qualitative criteria of walkability and consisted of a data-driven analysis (QGIS analysis using the OS-WALK-EU tool) and complementary questionnaire-based field data collection. Geodata on population density, recreational areas, and points of interest (POIs) were required to conduct the data-driven analysis. Walk audits assessed the attractiveness, comfort, directness, safety, and coherence of sidewalks on five chosen routes. The field collection campaign ran from 8 September 2022 to 28 February 2023.

On the citywide scale, the OS-WALK-EU index showed a centrifugal decrease of walkability from the inner city to the outskirts (and especially in the northeastern districts). To create a city of short distances with locally accessible amenities for everyday errands, improvements seem necessary. The old town and the Dörnberg quarter performed best in the walk audits, which helped to identify potential for improving the walkability at the neighborhood scale.

Walkability as framework of health-oriented city planning is a task for the whole of society. For the future, public health services can serve as a link between policy-makers, transport planning, and citizens in communal health promotion and actively shape the walkability of urban neighborhoods.