Feasibility Study of Walkable Routes and Operationalization of Sustainable Urban Design

Walkable routes, recognized as one of the factors for sustainability and enhancing environmental qualities, are considered a solution to increasing the health of society, reduce the use of cars and greenhouse gas emissions, and thereby mitigate global warming and the effects of climate change. Accordingly, the present study aims to assess the feasibility of a walkable route in Karaj and develop an urban design model. The reason for the selection of this city is that it has not been successful in mitigating the increasing consequences of car dominance, such as traffic, fossil fuel consumption, and air pollution, with negative effects on the environment. This study is an inductive and mixed-method investigation. In the qualitative part, criteria and indicators related to walkable routes are extracted using studying authentic international sources, and in the quantitative part, after assessing the feasibility of a walkable route in Karaj using a Goeller matrix and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution technique, a walkable route design model is shown using the exploratory factor analysis. The results of the exploratory factor analysis indicate that factors such as vitality, inclusiveness, safety, security, and attendance play a significant role in making the Mahan route walkable. So, a related urban design model is shown to promote these factors as effective strategies.