Decoding pedestrian and cyclist mobility perceptions through drawings

This exploratory study employs a drawing-based participatory methodology to examine how four groups in Panama City: Primary Level Students (PLS, n = 10), High School Students with an Advanced Academic Approach (HSAA, n = 20), Pedestrian Users of Educational Environments (PUEE, n = 40), and Transport and Urban Planning Specialists (TUPS, n = 13) perceive pedestrian and cyclist needs. Each participant drew their vision of an ideal environment that would facilitate walking or cycling in a sustainable city. These drawings were then coded using 20 key elements (e.g. sidewalks, ramps, tactile guides). Correlation analysis revealed significant co-occurrences among elements, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified three main dimensions underlying group-level representations: ‘Safety and Comfort in Pedestrian Infrastructure’, ‘Accessibility and Support for Universal Mobility’ and ‘Sustainability and Inclusion in Active Mobility’. Sidewalks emerged as the most frequently represented element (84%) across all participants, underscoring a shared emphasis on fundamental pedestrian infrastructure. Even so, each group highlighted different priorities: PLS underscored functional zones and social interaction, HSAA emphasized universal accessibility, PUEE focused on walkway conditions and lighting, and TUPS prioritized cycling infrastructure and intermodal connectivity. These findings illustrate how drawing-based methods can reveal group-specific perspectives often overlooked by traditional approaches, informing more inclusive, data-driven strategies for sustainable urban mobility.