Exploring walkability research trends based on systematic literature review (SLR) by applying PRISMA
ISSN: 0168-2601
Article publication date: 22 May 2023
Issue publication date: 15 January 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This study intends to analyze the trend of walkability research over two years (2021–2022) in several aspects, including the research problem, gap and aim underlying walkability issues, research setting, the scale of analysis, the type of data, the data collection tool, the analysis method and contribution.
Design/methodology/approach
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) is employed to conduct a systematic literature review from three leading databases including Web of Science (WoS), Scopus and Sage.
Findings
From the review, it can be concluded that the research focuses on two aspects, namely, the built environment and people. The studies in this field are conducted at different scales of the built environment, from macroscale to microscale, including region, city, neighborhood and street-level studies that are conducted around the world including Asia, Europe and America which receive high attention from researchers. Meanwhile, the study of walkability in Australia and Africa gains less attention. It is revealed that there are four factors of walkability including land use and accessibility for macroscale which cover region, city and neighborhood, while street network and pedestrian infrastructure and facility are mainly analyzed for street-level. Most of the studies widely utilize a quantitative approach for analyzing physical walkability factors in a measurement-based approach by using certain tools/software, and a perception-based approach by using questionnaires.
Research limitations/implications
The findings can assist to keep up with the rapid pace of scientific publications and help accelerate the understanding of particular ideas in the field of walkability for the planning and design practice and policy that can be used by researchers/academia, urban designers, urban planners, architects, engineers and policymakers. Also, this study hopefully could assist further research direction for the future and could add value to a more advanced way of understanding the research on walkability.
Originality/value
This research provides a robust framework for walkability trend analysis and a comprehensive understanding of the main ideas from the existing research on walkability worldwide.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper is part of the first author’s doctoral thesis at the University of Malaya, Malaysia. Therefore, the first author would like to thank all relevant parties who have assisted in the research process, namely supervisors and staff of the Faculty of Built Environment of the University of Malaya. Also, the first author would like to thank the Ministry of Higher Education of Malaysia which provides funding for the doctoral program under the Malaysia International Scholarship (MIS).
Citation
Hijriyah, L., Alias, A. and Mohd Sahabuddin, M.F. (2024), "Exploring walkability research trends based on systematic literature review (SLR) by applying PRISMA", Open House International, Vol. 49 No. 1, pp. 63-121. https://doi.org/10.1108/OHI-02-2023-0031
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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