GI_Forum 2021, Volume 9, Issue 2
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Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften Austrian Academy of Sciences Press
A-1011 Wien, Dr. Ignaz Seipel-Platz 2
Tel. +43-1-515 81/DW 3420, Fax +43-1-515 81/DW 3400 https://verlag.oeaw.ac.at, e-mail: verlag@oeaw.ac.at |
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DATUM, UNTERSCHRIFT / DATE, SIGNATURE
BANK AUSTRIA CREDITANSTALT, WIEN (IBAN AT04 1100 0006 2280 0100, BIC BKAUATWW), DEUTSCHE BANK MÜNCHEN (IBAN DE16 7007 0024 0238 8270 00, BIC DEUTDEDBMUC)
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GI_Forum 2021, Volume 9, Issue 2 ISSN 2308-1708 Online Edition ISBN 978-3-7001-9183-4 Online Edition
Victoria Fast,
Jiaao Guo
S. 242 - 250 doi:10.1553/giscience2021_02_s242 Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften doi:10.1553/giscience2021_02_s242
Abstract: As the COVID-19 crisis has forced people to adhere to social distancing, the proximity to each other of pedestrians on the sidewalk suddenly becomes meaningful: do pedestrians have enough space to safely move within cities? With decades of urban planning prioritizing roads and automobiles, the answer is ‘no’. Cities all over the world have been forced to make urgent changes to pedestrian infrastructure in order to make it safe for people to move about public spaces during the pandemic. In this study, using the sidewalk infrastructure from the Canadian city of Calgary as an example, we model sidewalk widths and then analyse the spatial patterns across the city. Our results reveal that Calgary's sidewalk widths vary substantially and form clusters of narrow sidewalks among residential zones, while wide sidewalks are typically found in downtown, and in some parks and recreational areas. We recommend that the City of Calgary, and all cities, re-evaluate their sidewalk and pathway development patterns, and upgrade sidewalk infrastructures in those narrow-sidewalk communities. By developing more robust methods for modelling and analysing sidewalk width, paired with adequate sidewalk data, cities can make informed decisions that lead to more inclusive, pedestrian-safe, cities. Keywords: sidewalk width, pedestrians, accessibility, spatial pattern, health equity Published Online: 2021/12/28 12:56:32 Object Identifier: 0xc1aa5576 0x003d2600 Rights:https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/
GI_Forum publishes high quality original research across the transdisciplinary field of Geographic Information Science (GIScience). The journal provides a platform for dialogue among GI-Scientists and educators, technologists and critical thinkers in an ongoing effort to advance the field and ultimately contribute to the creation of an informed GISociety. Submissions concentrate on innovation in education, science, methodology and technologies in the spatial domain and their role towards a more just, ethical and sustainable science and society. GI_Forum implements the policy of open access publication after a double-blind peer review process through a highly international team of seasoned scientists for quality assurance. Special emphasis is put on actively supporting young scientists through formative reviews of their submissions. Only English language contributions are published.
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Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften Austrian Academy of Sciences Press
A-1011 Wien, Dr. Ignaz Seipel-Platz 2
Tel. +43-1-515 81/DW 3420, Fax +43-1-515 81/DW 3400 https://verlag.oeaw.ac.at, e-mail: verlag@oeaw.ac.at |