Walkability

Facilitating walking in your area and informing local plans

With Walkability you can map and evidence the walkability of places in line with 20 min neighbourhoods / 15 min cities and other sustainable transport policies.

Assessing whether an existing neighbourhood or a new development is easily accessible on foot is a complicated challenge.

Using SYSTRA’s Walkability toolkit, allows you to firstly assess the proximity of local services to potential development sites, and then audit the quality of the streets and routes which lead to them.

Key contacts

Martin CAMPBELL

Associate Director > LinkedIn

Fiona DENOON

Paramics Sales & Support

Active Travel

Walking & Cycling

Pedestrian & Cycling Modelling

Streets & Placemaking

Request a Free Demo

Learn about the walkability team

Walkability Features

Identify levels of walking access to key services

Routing engine recommended by UK GOV.
Score your area based on access to services and points of interest.
Visualise consistently across an area using H3 hexagon global indexing.
Identify ‘black spots’ of severance in an area.

Visualise walking demand

Shortest path tool identifies potential demand on the walking network.
Visualise where people are most likely to walk.
Identify long routes and pinch points.

Test land use plans and network scenarios

Using a ‘heatmap’ approach to assess distances to the most frequently used services can then be used to develop a locally derived ‘walkability’ score and is especially useful at the early stage of development.

Test how accessible proposed developments are.
Add, move and remove services and points of interest to assess how the population served varies.
Modify the network to add or remove links.
Re-run tests quickly to gain insights prior to more detailed modelling.

Utilise open data and processes for efficiency

Access assessments can be generated quickly using lightweight R programming and GIS techniques.
Utilise the availability of open data without the need to purchase or commission additional data.

How can I measure if a new development meets 15-minute city or 20-minute neighbourhood standards?

Walkability uses a heatmap approach to develop a locally derived ‘walkability score’ for your project. To comply with sustainable transport policies, you need evidence that maps the proximity of local services to your site and audits the quality of the walking routes connecting them. This helps you understand exactly how accessible a site is for future residents at the earliest stages of planning.

How do I visualise potential walking demand and desire paths for a local plan?

You can identify potential demand by using the walkability shortest path tool. This tool visualises where people are most likely to walk based on the existing network. The analysis identifies pinch points and long routes, which allows planners to sense-check land-use plans and network changes before you make a significant investment.

What data sources does the SYSTRA Walkability toolkit use?

The Walkability toolkit uses open data to ensure the process is lightweight and efficient. This means you do not need to commission or purchase additional datasets to begin your assessment. Crucially, the Walkability tool uses a routing engine recommended by the UK government to ensure your evidence is robust and aligns with national standards.

Is training or technical support required to use the SYSTRA Walkability toolkit?

Walkability can generate assessments quickly for your project because the solution uses lightweight R programming and geographic information system (GIS) techniques. Our digital solutions team provides bespoke training, software licensing, and trials. Please contact us using the form on this page to discuss your requirements.

How does walkability help with active travel policy and strategy?

The toolkit provides the evidence base you need for an active travel strategy. By identifying where routes are severed and visualising demand, the toolkit helps you prioritise the interventions that will have the greatest impact on the number of people choosing to walk or wheel.