The impact of the spatial context on accessibility choices in Algeria - the case of the city of Constantine

FAREH, Fouzia (2023) The impact of the spatial context on accessibility choices in Algeria - the case of the city of Constantine. Doctoral thesis, Faculté des Sciences et de la technologie.

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Abstract

As we experience climate change and a lower quality of life in auto-oriented cities, smart growth and new urbanism are dominating urban paradigms, reshaping urban spatial structures worldwide. Naturally, urban planning, policy, and design aim to create cities that have a low auto-use, high pedestrian-friendly urban form. Walkable communities have several advantages, including reduced automobile journeys, more street activity for local retailers and the community, and better health for inhabitants. Thus, we need to understand the determinants of walking activities to encourage the creation of pedestrian-friendly urban structures. Many studies have focused on socioeconomic features as the main determinants of walking. These studies specifically suggest that population and employment density, land-use patterns, and land-use mix determine the pedestrian volume in cities. Within a specific area. However, few studies focused on street conditions and connectivity to generate walking alternatives. Early studies of street effects focused on the influence of topological and physical settings on walking choices. However, most pedestrian movement volume models were constructed for urban areas that developed on the basis of pre-modern planning. In this thesis, we confront neighborhoods that were built upon modern planning doctrines, combining the functional hierarchy of streets with the neighborhood unit concept, with neighborhoods that developed from traditional organic streets based on self-organized planning. We employ space syntax analysis to study how the structural elements of their roadway network interact with pedestrian movement distribution. The research was carried out in two physically and historically distinct cities in Constantine, Algeria, namely the ancient and modern towns. These disparities are attributed to the lack of a self-organized circular causation between street network construction, business, and movement in modern planned districts. This research builds on the premise that structural aspects of the physical environment, in addition to functional factors, also need to be considered as offering a significant, even over-riding, influence on walking behavior, reducing automobile dependence and inducing non-auto commuting. The topic connects to the current walkability issue and introduces the concept that the arrangement of the urban grid might impact the proportion of pedestrians. In conclusion, this study confirmed the effects of access to the built volume of various land uses along street networks on walking activities. If the results are firmly tested and generalized, they could be applied to create more effective urban designs. Further, by including the considered preferences of pedestrians, the key findings could contribute to shifting auto-oriented urban structures mainly in the new towns toward pedestrian-friendly urban settings by learning from the urban layouts of the traditional cities. In terms of future research directions, further studies could examine how reinforcing pro-pedestrian policy relieves urban issues, such as traffic congestion, energy overuse, and climate change.

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