Perceived accessibility and walkability in urban neighbourhoods:Insights from Walk-Along-Interviews from five countries

The 15-minute-city concept aims to support a sustainable urban transition in European cities and active mobility, especially walking. In order to do so, urban neighbourhoods should provide good pedestrian infrastructures and access to relevant services and places.<br/><br/>While the concept is most promising for promoting the quality of life of citizens, the land use pattern and transport infrastructure, and thus accessibility, vary within the city and between neighbourhoods. There is also an individual dimension of accessibility, as the level of perceived accessibility is moderated by peoples’ needs and abilities and their personal circumstances. Lack of (walking) accessibility can lead to social exclusion, or poor health and wellbeing outcomes. Therefore, it is important to recognize the vital role of the neighbourhood level as well as to consider special needs to further develop the 15mC concept.<br/><br/>As part of the AccessCity4All project, we conducted qualitative Walk-Along-Interviews (WAI) with senior citizens and families with smaller children which are considered more vulnerable in terms of their mobility. We aim to better understand their mobility and accessibility needs and the perceptions at the street-level as well as their links to key components of the 15-minute-city concept. The interviews were conducted in autumn 2024 in five cities/regions: Vienna (Austria), Münster (Germany), Groningen (Netherlands), Lisbon (Portugal) and Ankara (Turkey). While walking together in the neighbourhood and directly experiencing the urban environment, the interviews centred around walking experiences and perceived accessibility.<br/><br/>In our presentation we will present first results from these interviews. We will look into similarities and differences from a cross-country comparison. This presentation will provide examples of perceived accessibility and about relevance of services for people’s everyday lives. We will also provide a deeper understanding of supporting and hindering factors for walking and discuss the special needs and perceptions of the vulnerable groups studied. In our conclusions, we will emphasize possibilities on the integration of our findings into future research and planning practices.