An assessment framework for walkability in Libyan city centres: public spaces in Tripoli

Libyan civic and urban centres are increasingly suffering from unwalkable places due to the lack of legislation for accessibility, multiplication of unregulated car traffic, and the absence of adequate urban and spatial planning. In the last few decades, there has been an increasing interest in the field of walkable public open space as a key driver of sustainable urban development and redistribution of land use, to ensure pedestrian and walkable routes between sites of living and workplaces, and to reduce dependence on automobiles. However, in most developing countries, including Libya, there is limited a comprehensive approach and framework to enable and facilitate walkable public open spaces in urban centres. This research analyses factors and identifies barriers related to walkability in public open spaces in Tripoli (Libya) in two phases: exploring the consistency and validity of effective walkability factors related to the context, using surveys with 25 Libyan specialists, experts, and decision makers; and developing a mixed methodological approach to assess and evaluate current perceptions, attitudes, and aspects involved in determining what makes an accessible and walkable urban space in Tripoli. The empirical study included analysis of a questionnaire survey (using SPSS version 20.0) of 427 users and 108 professionals, and observation of spatial practices and attitudes in four different public spaces in the city. Focus group discussions were used to validate the results, which showed that safety and security; lack of facilities, and physical barriers; institutional, legislative, management and financial barriers; social and cultural barriers; and transportation system barriers, with varying weights, hinder people's decisions to walk in public open spaces in Tripoli. A framework was developed to assess the significance and extent of these walkability problems that can be used as a basis for public open space making and management in developing countries' urban planning

Walkability in historic urban spaces: testing the safety and security in Martyrs' Square in Tripoli

Much of the built environment design literature focuses on a composite of walkable spaces variables such as density, diversity, and destination accessibility. One of the most effective factors in walkability is “safety and security”. There is an evident gap in understanding the perceived ability of Libyan public spaces to support walkability. This paper aims to investigate the effectiveness of “walkability” in traditional Libyan urban spaces and analyse the relationship between walking, a safe and secure environment, and its impact on a heritage site in Tripoli city centre. The perceived personal safety of 140 users of the heritage site “Martyrs' Square” were measured; this research is studying the quality of environment and users’ interaction with their environmental issues relating to the study area. Mixed methods were used in this research: this study used both quantitative and qualitative methods to gather information; the quantitative took the form of a questionnaire; and the qualitative took the form of observations. Analysis of quantitative data was conducted with SPSS software; the survey was conducted from August 2016 to September 2016. The results of this study are useful for urban planning, to classify the walkable urban space elements, which could improve the level of walkability in Libyan cities and create sustainable and liveable urban spaces