Women's recreational walking preferences in urban streets: A structural equation modeling approach

Women's walkability in urban spaces is increasingly recognized as vital to urban livability and social sustainability, ensuring equitable access to public space and fostering everyday interaction. Despite growing attention to walking behaviors, few studies comprehensively examine how perceptual-visual, sociocultural, and built environment factors shape women's walking preferences, especially in contexts with strong traditions and patriarchal norms. Drawing on feminist geography and mobility justice, this study frames women's walking as embedded in spatial politics and gendered power relations. To explore this, a survey was conducted with 250 women along three main streets radiating from Tajrish Square, a politically and culturally significant urban node in Tehran. This contested space, marked by gender visibility and civic symbolism, offers a rich setting to investigate the interplay of urban form, visual perception, and sociocultural dynamics. Data were collected via standardized questionnaires and analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling to assess relationships among latent constructs. Space Syntax analysis further evaluated street network configuration and connectivity, clarifying how urban form affects movement and accessibility. Findings reveal perceptual-visual factors had the strongest direct impact on walking preferences (β = 0.354), followed by sociocultural (β = 0.328) and built environment factors (β = 0.243). Indirect effects via sociocultural mediation were similar for perceptual-visual (β = 0.158) and built environment factors (β = 0.156). The total effect of perceptual-visual (β = 0.513) and built environment factors (β = 0.399) underscores the mediating role of sociocultural variables. Overall, the study highlights women's walking as both a sustainable mobility practice and a socio-political act, deeply rooted in the spatial and symbolic fabric of the city. • Integrates built environment, perceptual-visual, and socio-cultural factors in women's walking behavior. • Uses Structural Equation Modeling Approach to assess direct and mediated effects on women’s walking preferences. • Built environment alone is insufficient to explain pedestrian behavior in gendered spaces. • Perceptual-visual qualities strongly influence perceived safety and walkability. • Socio-cultural and political contexts mediate how space and perception shape mobility.