Civil Engineering and Architecture 12(4): 2634-2647, 2024 http://www.hrpub.

org
DOI: 10.13189/cea.2024.120411

Optimising Park Utilization in Urban India: Assessing

the Impact of Walkability and Pedestrian Amenities on
Neighbourhood Park Usage in Jalandhar City
Amrita Shukla1,*, Pankaj Chhabra2, Vijaya Bhati3

1Departmentof Architecture, Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management, India

2Departmentof Architecture, Guru Nanak Dev University, India
3Department of Architecture, Lovely Professional University, India

Received February 8, 2024; Revised April 8, 2024; Accepted May 20, 2024

Cite This Paper in the Following Citation Styles

(a): [1] Amrita Shukla, Pankaj Chhabra, Vijaya Bhati , "Optimising Park Utilization in Urban India: Assessing the
Impact of Walkability and Pedestrian Amenities on Neighbourhood Park Usage in Jalandhar City," Civil Engineering
and Architecture, Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 2634 - 2647, 2024. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2024.120411.
(b): Amrita Shukla, Pankaj Chhabra, Vijaya Bhati (2024). Optimising Park Utilization in Urban India: Assessing the
Impact of Walkability and Pedestrian Amenities on Neighbourhood Park Usage in Jalandhar City. Civil Engineering and
Architecture, 12(4), 2634 - 2647. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2024.120411.
Copyright©2024 by authors, all rights reserved. Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under
the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License

Abstract Neighbourhood parks are vital in
enhancing the quality of life in urban settlements. It
provides an opportunity for people to interact socially and
engage in community activity, along with other economic
and social benefits. Public spaces like neighbourhood parks
are an indispensable element of urban fabric but are
underutilized in developing countries like India due to
improper pedestrian facilities and connectivity.
Walkability is considered an alternative form of sustainable
urban mobility with direct environmental, social, and
health benefits. Various researchers have proposed
different tools and techniques to calculate the walkability
index at the city level. Many studies have been conducted
on the benefits of public spaces in terms of the health and
wellbeing of citizens, but factors contributing to the
increasing utilization of public space need to be explored.
The study proposes a neighbourhood walkability approach
to understand the impact of distance and pedestrian
facilities on walking and the usage of a neighbourhood park.
A mixed survey approach is used for data collection,
comprising a questionnaire survey and site observations for
three different residential neighbourhoods in Jalandhar.
The results depict a strong interrelationship between the
distance of the residential area from the neighbourhood
park and the availability of other pedestrian amenities. The
result can help architects and urban planners understand the
factors that encourage citizens to walk and provide
recommendations for enhancing Walkability within the
neighbourhood. Therefore, it will help optimize the usage
of a neighbourhood park and enhance the quality of urban
life.
Keywords Neighbourhood Parks, Public Space,
Walkability, Urban Settlement, Utilization
1. Introduction
Every individual walks for a different reason. Walking
may appear to be an objective act since it is undertaken by
everyone. Walking is so widely used and preferred either
for commuting or recreational purposes [1] because it is
affordable and practical for everyone [2]. It is also
considered a sustainable urban mobility medium [3].
However, everyone’s experience while walking may
change, which makes walking a subjective concept.
Additionally, people with varying needs and capacities,
such as children, the elderly, and the crippled, walk in their
daily routines. Walkability is defined by authors from
various fields in different ways [4], such as promoting
Walkability as a key measure to bring people into the
 Civil Engineering and Architecture 12(4): 2634-2647, 2024
public space, reduce congestion and boost local economy
and interactions [5], walkability as a medium to encourage
a shift of citizens from motorized commutation to
pedestrian [6] and such many more. There is no
standardized definition available to define Walkability [7].
Walkability and its integration into urban space is not a new
concept; urban theorists/ planners such as Perry, Gehl, Jane
Jacob, and Lynch have highlighted its importance for a
long time [8].
Public spaces have played a vital role in cities since the
birth of human civilization, providing countless advantages
to individuals and communities [9]. Public spaces are the
basic feature that distinguishes a location from a haphazard
to a well-planned settlement [5] and have become a vital
urban function and land use in the development plan of the
city [10] [11]. Developing countries like India are facing
acute shortages of public open spaces, whereas, at the same
time, available public spaces need to be more utilized.
Among the various types of public space in cities, such as
parks, plazas, city centers, playgrounds, and urban interiors
[12], the paper focuses on neighbourhood parks as they are
the most approachable and used public space in residential
areas. Neighbourhood parks act as platforms for the
augmentation of people from all age groups, social statuses,
communities, and individuals. They are the essential and
evident component for the representation of a community's
quality of life [13]. The city's dynamics directly relate to
the residents' access to parks and, therefore, outline the
city's character [14]. With rapid urbanization, the demand
for automobiles [15] has been raised, leading to serious
concern for the environment. The charter of new urbanism
explains walkability as a vital urban quality, which is
strongly associated with a sense of place and resilience.
Many studies have been conducted by various authors on
walkability [2] and public parks in different contexts.
Due to technological advancement and diverse society’s
needs, the amalgamation of Walkability with
neighbourhood parks becomes an important feature that
needs to be explored [16] for Indian cities which directly
concern the environment, sustainability and health of
citizens. Under the aegis of smart urban form, the smart city
proposal for Jalandhar City highlights the development of
public spaces and Walkability as major features [17]. The
study focuses on three neighbourhood parks and their
surroundings. The selected neighbourhood has free access
to visitors and is in Jalandhar City. A mixed approach
method, including site observation and a self-administrated
question survey, is adopted for the study. The objective of
the research is to identify the indices for neighbourhood
walkability and analyse its impact on the utilization of
neighbourhood parks. The study will help planners and
authorities develop initiatives to enhance the useability of
neighbourhood parks by enhancing walkability.
2635
2. Review of Literature
Walkability, public spaces, urban life and their inter-
relationship have been studied for many decades by
eminent planners, urban designers, and authors including
Jane Jacob, Cook, Jan Gehl, and Lynch [18]. The literature
focuses on walking possibilities such as accessibility,
compactness, physical allure, safety of a place,
functionality of walkable surroundings such as
transportation alternatives, encouragement of exercise, or
making areas lively and convivial [19]. Walkability is not
a new concept; its footprint can be traced from Ebenezer
Howard's Garden City concept. It considers the people in
the center of the design rather than automobiles, mixed-use
within walking limits [20]. Perry, in 1929, introduced the
"5-minute walk" as an essential urban design tool for
pedestrian-oriented development. Jane Jacob, in 1961,
highlighted walkability and street life with respect to safety,
diversity, and lively streets, whereas Lynch, in 1961, drew
attention to the walking experience. The authorities have
neglected the capacity of roads for pedestrians [3] and
focused only on vehicles and parking spaces. The growing
pornification of vehicles is a concern with the
approachability of public parks in urban areas [21]. Various
studies have been done at the macro level in the form of
various walkability measure tools, as listed below.
2.1. Global Walkability Index (GWI)
For the World Bank, H. Krambeck created the "Global
Walkability Index". It qualitatively examines the walking
conditions, including the convenience, safety, and security
of the pedestrian environment [22] [3]. The GWI does not
consider the stakeholder perception. The technique is
qualitative, but because it takes into account a number of
important factors, it gives a useful overview of the
walkability environment at the moment and makes it
possible to pinpoint areas that may require improvement
[23].
2.2. Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Scale
(NEWS)
Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Scale can be
defined as how inhabitants perceive the environmental
characteristics of their neighbourhood [24]. The
Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS)
was developed to understand the neighbourhood attributes,
their perception by locals, and the assessment of
environmental factors hypothesized to influence physical
activity [25]. It comprises 98 questions that assess
neighbourhood perceptions [26] that may be associated
with physical components such as residential density, land
use mix, accessibility, aesthetics, traffic and criminal safety,
and neighbourhood satisfaction [27].
2636 Optimising Park Utilization in Urban India:
Assessing the Impact of Walkability and Pedestrian Amenities on Neighbourhood Park Usage in Jalandhar City

2.3. Scottish Walkability Assessment Tool (SWAT)
SWAT was created to determine and find a correlation
between a pedometer-based walking programme in
conjunction with physical activity and walking behaviour
over the course of a year. The SWAT development process
specifically took place in Glasgow, Scotland, over a 25 km
street area, and participants used SWAT and GIS
information systems to assess the local environment [28].
Functional, safety, aesthetics, and destination are the
parameters included in the tool. The goal of the study is to
investigate the complex relationship between behaviour,
health, and environment, as well as the efficacy of this
method and participant interference.
2.4. Walkability Index
The Ministry of Urban Road Development, Government
of India, has formulated a walkability index for the Indian
context. The suggested walkability index is applicable at
the Indian city level. As per this method, the walkability
index is a function of the "availability of footpath and
pedestrian facility rating” [29]. This can be calculated using
the equation given below. The walkability index was
developed to evaluate the performance of pedestrian
infrastructure, taking into consideration the following
factors,
 Availability of footpaths on major corridors,
 Overall facility rating by pedestrians
From the facility rating and footpath availability, the
index is formulated as follows:
Walkability Index = [(W1 x Availability) + (w2 x
Facility rating)]
Where, w1 and w2: Parametric weights (assumed 50%
for both)
Availability: Footpath length / Length of major roads in
the city and Facility
Pedestrian Facility Rating: Score estimated based on
opinion on available pedestrian facility
Neighbourhood is considered as an elementary unit of a
city, and walkability issues at the micro level still need to
be addressed for Indian cities. Neighbourhood parks are a
vital element of neighbourhood [30] for the wellbeing of
citizens and to improve their quality of life [17]. Thus, the
aim of this paper is to amalgamate the two fundamental
concepts of walkability and neighbourhood parks so that
their interrelationship can be studied and understood, and
the walkability index for neighbourhood needs to be
drafted. This will result in the identification of measures for
the optimum utilization of neighbourhood parks.
A comparison of the existing walkability tools with
reference to the residential neighbourhoods is discussed in
Table 1, as mentioned below.
Figure 1 outlines the summary of the walkability index
and highlights the criteria that need to be considered for
successful neighbourhood walkability to encourage people
to walk.

Table 1. Summary of desired qualities for neighbourhood walkability index

Parameters Global Neighbourhood Scottish Walkability Walkability

Walkability Environment Walkability Assessment Tool
Index (GWI) Scale (NEWS) (SWAT)

Wayfinding 

Safety    

Aesthetics 

Buildings condition 

Street Character/ land use (Eye on street)   

Visual connect 

Linkage 

Accessibility  

Proximity

Footway width  

Physical barrier  

Streetlights and other amenities  

 Civil Engineering and Architecture 12(4): 2634-2647, 2024
Figure 1. Review dimensions and classification of assessment criteria for Walkability
3. Methodology
3.1. Study Area
Jalandhar is situated towards the north-western state of
India, in the Doaba region in Punjab, at 31° 34' 48" N and
75° 34' 48" E, as shown in Figure 2. The city has recently
experienced tremendous urbanization and transformed into
a highly industrialized trade centre [31]. The city lies
between the Satluj and Beas rivers and is well-known for
producing sporting items. In addition, it is regarded as the
first sports city in India. It had a population of 21,93,590
and a literacy rate of 86.22 percent [32].
Figure 2. Parks in Jalandhar City
The three neighbourhood parks selected for the study, as
shown in Figure 3, Figure 4, and Figure 5, have free access
for citizens and are selected based on location,
2637
surroundings, presence of different age groups and
amenities available in and around the site. Also, the direct
connectivity of the neighbourhood parks with the arterial
roads is taken as a prime factor for selection to assess the
direct impact of Walkability on the neighbourhood parks.
The study was conducted from 05:00 am to 09:00 am in the
morning and 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the evening after
conducting reconnaissance for the entire day. It was
observed that maximum footfall was found from 06:00 am
to 7:30 am in the morning and 05:30 pm to 7:30 pm in the
evening.
3.2. Data Collection
The study is conducted in four stages, as illustrated in
Figure 6. In the first stage, an extensive literature study
from various research papers, journals and websites is
conducted to identify different indices and methods for
calculating Walkability.
Figure 3. NP1-Urban Estate Phase I
2638 Optimising Park Utilization in Urban India:
Assessing the Impact of Walkability and Pedestrian Amenities on Neighbourhood Park Usage in Jalandhar City

Figure 4. NP2-Urban Estate Phase II

Figure 5. NP3-Defence Colony

Figure 6. Methodology adopted for the study

Formulation of Walkability Index for Neighbourhood
Parks: In the second stage, the indices identified from the
literature study are: perception, connectivity of pedestrian
facilities, the surrounding environment and associated
amenities, which are directly associated with the
Walkability of neighbourhood parks. The perception
parameter (P) includes proximity, ease of wayfinding and
safety. The connectivity (C) includes visual connectivity,
linkage, and accessibility. The surrounding environment
(SE) focuses on aesthetics, building condition, and street
 Civil Engineering and Architecture 12(4): 2634-2647, 2024
character, and the amenities (A) indices consist of the width
of the footpath, streetlight, and obstacles present between
them. Thus, the walkability index for neighbourhood parks
can be expressed as the sum of all the above-stated
parameters.
Walkability Index for Neighbourhood parks =
P+SE+C+A
To validate the proposed formula, the Walkability Index
for Neighbourhood parks was implemented on selected
neighbourhood parks:
A survey research method, along with statistical and
empirical modelling, is conducted. The systematic
stratified random sampling method is used to collect first-
hand data from the primary survey. Three neighbourhood
parks in Jalandhar were selected based on useability,
physical condition, and popularity among the different user
groups. A total of 300 surveys were conducted, out of
which 240 responded appropriately, and this was used for
analysis. Out of 240 respondents, 140 respondents (58%
approximately) are male, and 100 respondents (42%
approximately) are female, and all respondents are above
the age of 18 years. The survey was conducted in three
zones, i-e, 200m, 400m and 800m. The survey conducted
for Walkability comprises four parameters along with
twelve sub-parameters, whereas qualitative evaluation of
the park is done by applying the Inclusive Public Space
Matrix, which comprises six parameters with thirty sub-
parameters [31].
The survey comprises variables “pedestrian and
vehicular connectivity, proximity (distance from
neighbourhoods), movement within space, sense of
belongingness, amenities for cultural activities, relaxing
area, seating comfort, the noise level inside the park, sense
of closer”. The remaining variables “no. of the access point,
availability of checkpoint/ gate, gender dynamics, age
group, income, amenities for cultural activities, physical
fitness- related activity, vendors in the edge of public space,
control of the entrance to public space: the presence of
lockable gates, fences, etc., presence of boundary wall/
fence check on entry of animals (street dogs/ cows etc)
condition of surrounding building façade, graffiti, scale of
surrounding buildings etc. adequate illumination level
during dark/ night, condition of water for landscaping/
drinking water facility. Drainage within site electricity/
lighting fixture pathway/ jogger's track washroom,
protection from intensive s un/ wind/ rain, signages."
The collected data for the above is then analyzed in SPSS
by one-way ANOVA to understand the trend of
Walkability with reference to distance from the
neighbourhood park. From statical analysis, it was found
that the Walkability Index for Neighbourhood parks can be
expressed as a function of distance.
Walkability Index for Neighbourhood parks = f(d)
*{P+SE+C+A}
d= distance, where f(d) decreases with increase in
2639
distance and ranges from 0 to 0.8km
P= Perception
SE= Surrounding environment
C= Connectivity
A= Amenities
In the third stage, the relation between inclusivity and
walkability of neighbourhood parks is investigated by
analyzing the scores. Thereafter, neighbourhood park
indices affecting the utilization of parks were analyzed with
the help of the relative perception index from the data
collected from the survey [33]. Statistical tools, such as
correlation coefficient and variance inverse factor test [34],
are applied for validation.
The relative perception index is calculated based on the
perception of users and expressed as
Ri is the index value provided by the respondents on a
scale of 0–4
Ni is the number of respondents for different index value
A is the highest weightage
N is the total no. of responded
Then, in the fourth stage, the correlation coefficient
between walkability and neighbourhood park parameters is
worked out using SPSS. At the last, the coefficient of
determination is worked out to validate the prediction.
4. Data Analysis
The SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) and
Microsoft Excel software are used for conducting statistical
analysis. SPSS is a widely used software package for
statistical analysis, especially in social sciences research.
Microsoft Excel software is used for data management, and
SPSS software is used for descriptive statistics, inferential
statistics, and data visualization.
The relative perception index, correlation coefficient and
coefficient of determination are calculated in sequence.
The Relative Perception Index is a statistical measure used
to quantify the relative perception of different variables
within a dataset. It is calculated by comparing the responses
of individuals across different groups by using Likert-scale
ratings. It helps to assess the significance of various factors
based on responses. The correlation coefficient is applied
to quantify the strength and direction of the relationship
between two variables. Its value ranges from -1 to 1. A
value of +1 indicates a perfect positive linear relationship,
-1 indicates a perfect negative linear relationship, and 0
indicates no linear relationship. The value of the coefficient
of determination (R2) ranges from 0 to 1. The value 1
indicates that the independent variables perfectly explain
the variation in the dependent variable, and the value of 0
indicates that the independent variables do not explain any
of the variation in the dependent variable [35].
2640 Optimising Park Utilization in Urban India:
Assessing the Impact of Walkability and Pedestrian Amenities on Neighbourhood Park Usage in Jalandhar City

5. Results and Discussion homogeneity of variances is not significant (p>0.05), the

The intent of the study is to propose a neighbourhood
walkability calculation method and investigate the impact
of neighbourhood walkability on the usage of
neighbourhood parks. Empirical analysis of data is
conducted to find the relationship between the causes and
impact of walkability parameters and the utilization of
neighbourhood parks under the following four headings.
1. Relation between proximity and walkability index for
neighbourhood parks
2. Parameters affecting Walkability and ensuring
utilization of neighbourhood parks (relative
perception index)
3. The correlation coefficient between walkability and
neighbourhood park utilization parameters.
(Correlation coefficient)
4. Significance of main walkability factor with respect
to user count and utilization of neighbourhood parks.
(Coefficient of determination)
5.1. Relation between Distance and Walkability Index
for Neighbourhood Parks
To understand the impact of distance on the walkability
index for neighbourhood parks, the survey data is analyzed
by grouping data as per distance with approximate ranges
of 200m, 400m and 800m, irrespective of the
neighbourhood park.
A one-way ANOVA technique is applied, with a null
hypothesis, as distance has no impact on the walkability
index for a neighbourhood park. The Levane test of
null hypothesis is rejected as listed in Table 2, and the
alternate hypothesis is accepted, i.e., the variation is
unequal for the samples.
Table 2. Homogeneity of Variances
Test of Homogeneity of Variances
WI_NP
Levene Statistic df1 df2 Sig.
0.190 2 87 0.828
The ANOVA Table 3 reflects that F (2,87) is 6.962, and
p <0.05 is significant. This concludes that the walkability
of neighbourhood parks significantly differs with distance.
The linear term shows the significance of p<0.05. Figure 7
explains that the walkability index for neighbourhood
parks decreases with an increase in the distance between
residences and neighbourhood parks. This relationship
between distance and walkability index for neighbourhood
parks has not been covered in previous studies.
5.2. Comparing the Score of the Walkability Index and
the Inclusivity of Neighbourhood Parks
The survey data is compared to understand the
relationship between usage and walkability index for
neighbourhood parks. The usage is calculated by an
inclusive index matrix. From Table 4, it is found that there
is a linear relationship between the Walkability and usage
of neighbourhood parks, as depicted in Figure 8.

Table 3. Result of ANOVA

ANOVA

Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F Sig.

Between (Combined) 455.637 2 227.819 6.962 0.002

Groups
Weighted 450.221 1 450.221 13.759 0.000

Deviation 5.416 1 5.416 0.166 0.685

Within Groups 2846.763 87 32.721

Total 3302.400 89
 Civil Engineering and Architecture 12(4): 2634-2647, 2024 2641

Figure 7. Relation between distance and walkability index for neighbourhood parks

Table 4. Score of walkability index and inclusivity of neighbourhood parks

NP1 NP2 NP3

Walkability Index for Neighborhood Parks 58.5 73.0 53.5

Inclusive index of Neighbourhood Parks 58.0 79.0 51.0

Figure 8. Score of walkability index and inclusivity of neighborhood parks

2642 Optimising Park Utilization in Urban India:
Assessing the Impact of Walkability and Pedestrian Amenities on Neighbourhood Park Usage in Jalandhar City
5.3. Parameters Affecting Walkability and Ensuring
Utilization of Neighbourhood Parks
Parameters affecting Walkability and ensuring
utilization of neighbourhood parks are listed in Table 5.
The data collected from the primary survey was analyzed
using Microsoft Excel software. The relative importance
index is selected to analyze people's perceptions and is
collected via survey to identify the influencing parameter.
The value calculated for RPI is categorized under five
categories: i-e. High (H) (0.8 ≤ RI ≤ 1), high medium (H–
M) (0.6 ≤ RI ≤ 0.8), medium (M) (0.4 ≤ RI ≤ 0.6), medium-
low (M-L) (0.2 ≤ RI ≤ 0.4) and low (L) (0 ≤ RI ≤ 0.2) [36].
The prime parameters influencing utilization of
neighbourhood parks are connectivity (RPI=0.90),
proximity (RPI=0.86), adequate illumination level during
dark/ night (RPI=0.85), followed by opportunity of
involvement/ engagement (RPI=0.70), maintenance of
park (RPI=0/67), connect with immediate surrounding
(RPI=0.62). Pedestrian facilities (RPI= 0.28) and physical
and climatic comforts (RPU= 0.15) contribute the least.
The previous study discusses the variables that are effective
for achieving good Walkability but does not discuss any
correlation between Walkability and the utilization of parks.
Figure 9 explains that adequate illumination level during
dark/ night is an important parameter related to safety and,
thus, is directly proportionate with utilization along with
walkability parameters, connectivity, and proximity.
However, pedestrian facilities and physical and climatic
comfort do not have a significant impact on the utilization
of neighbourhood parks.
5.4. The Correlation Coefficient between Walkability
and Neighbourhood Park Utilization Parameters
The association between walkability indicators and users
of neighbourhood parks is represented by a coefficient of
correlation (r) and significance value (p) in Table 6, listed
below.
The coefficient of correlation suggests safety (r=1.00,
p=0.004), surrounding activities (r=0.999, p=0.027),
streetlights and other amenities (r=1.000, p=0.002) have a
significant association with the utilization of parks.
The parameters: wayfinding (r = 0.93, p=0.239),
condition of surrounding building façade (r=0.977,
p=0.136), visual connect (r=0.993, p=0.077), linkage
(r=0.983, p=0.116) accessibility (r=0.959, p=0.183) have a
moderate association with the utilization of neighbourhood
parks. However, proximity, aesthetics and footway width
have a low association with utilization of neighbourhood
parks. The presence of obstruction (r=0.997, p=0.048) has
a strong inverse correlation with the utilization of
neighbourhood parks.
5.5. Significance of Main Walkability Variables with
Respect to User Count and Utilization of
Neighbourhood Parks
The four major walkability variables identified by the
coefficient of correlation, as listed in Figure 1, are safety in
the street, activities in the surrounding area, minimum
obstructions, streetlights, and other amenities.
The analysis highlights that safety on the street (R2
=1.000), street lights and amenities (R2 =1.000) are directly
related to the user count of neighbourhood parks, as shown
in Table 7. It means that safer streets with better amenities
will have a higher user count. The activities around the
street also have a significant direct impact (R2 = 0.998).
The analysis in Table 8 highlights that utilization of
neighbourhood parks is directly linked with safety (R2 =
0.999), street lights and other amenities (R2 = 0.999),
whereas surrounding activities have a moderate influence.
The presence of obstructions is inversely related to the
utilization of neighbourhood parks.
 Civil Engineering and Architecture 12(4): 2634-2647, 2024 2643

Table 5. Relative perception index of the factors influencing utilization of neighbourhood parks

Importance
Sub-parameters influencing utilization of neighbourhood parks Relative Perception Index level

A Pedestrian connectivity 0.90 H

B Proximity (distance from neighbourhoods) 0.86 H

C Pedestrian facility 0.28 M-L

D Gender dynamics and age group 0.57 M

E Connect with the immediate surrounding 0.62 H-M

F Eye on the street/ fear of crime 0.60 M

G Condition of surrounding building façade, graffiti, scale of 0.60 M

surrounding buildings, etc.

H Adequate illumination level during dark/ night. 0.85 H

I Maintenance of park 0.67 H-M

J Opportunity for involvement/ engagement 0.70 H-M

K Physical and climatic comfort 0.15 L

L Inclusive/ social connect 0.53 M

Figure 9. Relative perception index for parameters influencing utilization of neighbourhood parks.
2644 Optimising Park Utilization in Urban India:
Assessing the Impact of Walkability and Pedestrian Amenities on Neighbourhood Park Usage in Jalandhar City

Table 6. Heat map of the Correlation coefficient between indicators of Walkability and users of neighbourhood parks

User proximity Wayfinding safety aesthetics surrounding surrounding visual Linkage Accessibility Footway presence streetlight
count building activities connect width obstruction and other
facade amenities
r value 1 0.999* 0.93 1.000** 0.514 0.977 .999* 0.993 0.983 0.959 0.759 -.997* 1.000**
User count p-value 0.028 0.239 0.004 0.657 0.136 0.027 0.077 0.116 0.183 0.452 0.048 0.002
r value 1 0.79 0.515 1.000** 0.315 0.473 0.609 0.344 0.733 0.947 -0.443 0.512
proximity p-value 0.421 0.656 0.003 0.796 0.687 0.583 0.776 0.477 0.208 0.708 0.658
r value 1 0.933 0.793 0.831 0.914 0.967 0.848 0.996 0.945 -0.9 0.931
wayfinding p-value 0.235 0.417 0.375 0.266 0.163 0.356 0.056 0.212 0.287 0.238
r value 1 0.519 0.976 .999* 0.994 0.982 0.961 0.763 -0.997 1.000**
safety p-value 0.652 0.14 0.031 0.072 0.121 0.179 0.448 0.052 0.002
r value 1 0.321 0.478 0.613 0.349 0.736 0.949 -0.448 0.516
aesthetics p-value 0.792 0.683 0.58 0.773 0.473 0.205 0.704 0.655
r value 1 0.985 0.945 1.000* 0.877 0.604 -0.99 0.977
building
facade p-value 0.109 0.212 0.019 0.319 0.588 0.088 0.138
r value 1 0.987 0.99 0.946 0.731 -.999* .999*
activities p-value 0.103 0.09 0.21 0.478 0.021 0.028
r value 1 0.954 0.986 0.831 -0.981 0.993
visual
connect p-value 0.193 0.107 0.375 0.124 0.075
r value 1 0.891 0.627 -0.994 0.983
Linkage p-value 0.3 0.568 0.069 0.118
r value 1 0.912 -0.935 0.96
Accessibility p-value 0.268 0.231 0.181
r value 1 -0.708 0.76
Footway
width p-value 0.499 0.45
r value 1 -.997*
presence
obstruction p-value 0.049
r value 1
streetlight
others p-value
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).
 Civil Engineering and Architecture 12(4): 2634-2647, 2024 2645

Table 7. Effect of major walkability parameters over user count of a neighbourhood park

1 2 3 4 5 1 vs. 2 1vs. 3 One vs. 4 1 vs. 5

(R2) (R2) (R2) (R2)

90 ± 0.000 5.822 ± 0.712 6.144 ±1.122 5.867 ± 1.093 6.067 ± 1.100 1.000 0.998 -0.944 1.000

Table 8. Effect of major walkability parameters over inclusivity/utilization of neighbourhood parks

1’ 2 3 4 5 1 vs. 2 1vs. 3 1 vs. 4 1 vs. 5

(R2) (R2) (R2) (R2)

60 ± 8.333 5.822 ± 0.712 6.144 ±1.122 5.867 ± 1.093 6.067 ± 1.100 0.999 0.995 -0.989 0.999

1- user count
1’- inclusivity of neighbourhood parks
2- safety
3- surrounding activities
4- presence of obstruction
5- amenities

6. Conclusions
The study conducted to date has walkability scores at the
macro level, whereas issues at the micro level are not
covered. According to the results obtained from the study
by applying proposed neighbourhood walkability, it can be
concluded that pedestrian connectivity, in terms of physical
and visual connection with neighbourhood parks, is an
important parameter for creating a walkable
neighbourhood to make urban mobility sustainable. It
presents micro-group elements to be considered while
improving walkability at the neighbourhood level. The
results show that walkability for neighbourhood parks
differs with distance, and there is an inverse relationship
between distance and neighbourhood walkability along
with the utilization of parks. The prime factors affecting the
utilization of neighbourhood parks are proximity,
connectivity, and illumination level during the dark,
whereas climatic comfort is the least affected. Safety,
activity in the surroundings, streetlights and other
amenities have a direct correlation between users of
neighbourhood parks and walkability.
The significance value obtained depicts that the presence
of footpaths and road networks at the neighbourhood level
cannot be equal in weightage for safety, surrounding
activities, street lights and other amenities. The
observations from the present study clearly indicate a
strong correlation between the walkability Index for
neighbourhood parks and the utilization of neighbourhood
parks. The RPI formula helps to identify which attributes
positively or negatively impact the use of neighbourhood
parks so more effective designs and policies can be
proposed to improve urban public spaces.
Thus, to encourage neighbourhood walkability and
utilization of neighbourhood parks, practices such as
activities in the surrounding area, also referred to as eye on
the street, raising infrastructure and amenities of the street,
and taking road safety measures will directly contribute.
The study can be further conducted on small pocket parks. The
impact of cultural identity on the usage of neighbourhood parks,
along with psychological factors such as legibility and
imageability, can be further studied.
Funding Sources
This research did not receive any specific grant from
funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-
profit sectors.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing
financial interests or personal relationships that could have
appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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