Exploring the Link between Street Layout Centrality and Walkability for Sustainable Tourism in Historical Urban Areas

Abstract

Walkability is considered a vital component of the urban configuration; urban spaces should promote pedestrian walking, which is healthier and increases social sustainability by connecting people in urban spaces. This article aims to find the link between the street layout centrality values and the people’s walkability for sustainable tourism in historic areas. Moreover, it attempts to explore the linkage between the urban layout and visiting historical spaces in the urban layout. The approach to the research has two phases; the first is to find people density (the tourist density) in the historical areas, and the second is to measure the centrality values of the urban layout utilizing the spatial design network analysis tool (sDNA). The research found that the street network considerably impacts the final tourist distribution, mainly because of the betweenness centrality; consequently, spaces with low betweenness centrality values are less reachable by the tourists in the historical area, although it has a high closeness centrality. The research concluded that considering the street network is necessary concerning the tourists’ walkability since it affects their density in the urban layout.