Enhancing Urban Accessibility : Reliability and Validity Assessment of the Stakeholders’ Walkability/Wheelability Audit in Neighbourhoods Tool

As Canada’s population ages and disability prevalence increases, understanding the built environment’s impact on mobility and social participation is essential. This study evaluates the measurement properties of the Stakeholders’ Walkability/Wheelability Audit in Neighbourhoods (SWAN) tool, a user-led instrument designed to assess environmental factors affecting older adults and individuals with disabilities. Using community-based participatory research, we recruited 54 participants from five cities to assess the SWAN tool’s inter-rater reliability, construct validity, and internal consistency. The results indicated a high overall inter-rater reliability of 85.22%, with substantial Cohen’s Kappa coefficients across domains, particularly in the Safety domain (0.73). The construct validity was confirmed through moderate to strong correlations with established measures, notably a correlation of 0.79 between the Street Crossing subdomain and the Sidewalk Index. The internal consistency analysis showed excellent reliability in the Functionality domain (α = 0.95) and a lower consistency value in the Social Environment domain (α = 0.63), suggesting the need for further refinement. These findings provide preliminary evidence of the SWAN tool’s potential for evaluating neighbourhood accessibility. By identifying barriers and facilitators to mobility, the SWAN tool can guide urban planning efforts aimed at creating inclusive environments for aging populations and individuals with disabilities. Future research should focus on larger samples to explore structural validity. Ultimately, the SWAN tool can contribute to improving the quality of life of vulnerable populations and promote more equitable urban policy development.