Background

Vancouver is a lively, vibrant city full of culture, diversity and breathtaking scenery. One of the key ingredients in Vancouver's vivacious urban centre is the ability to walk from one place to the next as everything is within close proximity to each other. Vancouver is a pedestrian oriented environment comprised of large city blocks. How a neighborhood is build and structured truly defines many avenues in a person’s life. Some of these entail the environmental effects as it reduces the use of cars, the personal health of citizens as it encourages physical activity and future development in downtown Vancouver (Marshall, Brauer, & Frank, 2009; Leslie, et al., 2007). Vancouver was built heavily around infrastructure and buildings versus post-war suburbs that develop around the car.

 

Vancouver is considered one of the healthiest places to live in and the world's greenest city. As Vancouver's population continues to rise, urban planners must be prepared for the population growth as more people will settle in the municipalities close to the urban city centre. As a result, there is more traffic flow coming in and out of the downtown core. According to Tom Tom Travel Index, it indicates that the Vancouver region has edged out Los Angeles for the number one most congested city as travel times are 36% longer during rush hours to non-rush hours (Crawford, 2013). By analysing how accessible parks, schools, community centres and public transportation are by foot or bike it can help move Vancouver to an even more sustainable and urban downtown.

 

In my analysis I want to evaluate the walkability of the city of Vancouver, BC. This study will pinpoint areas with high walkability but it will be tailored to help future development. It will further research the reason behind areas in downtown that has lower walkable areas. The areas with low walkability scores can be then improved and enhance the standard of living in these areas. If Vancouver’s downtown walkability is low then it will decrease health, environmental concerns and highlight areas that need development. Downtown Vancouver draws so many people out of their homes on a regular basis by locating retail stores within close proximity to each other as well as schools, parks and community centres (Marshall, Brauer, & Frank, 2009). This increases a person’s motivation to walk to and from locations.