DEVELOPING A GIS-BASED COMPOSITE WALKABILITY INDEX USING OPEN GEOSPATIAL DATA AND FIELD MEASUREMENTS IN UYO URBAN AREA, NIGERIA

Abstract

Walkability has emerged as an important component of sustainable urban mobility because of its contribution to reducing automobile dependence, improving public health, and supporting environmentally sustainable cities. However, walkability conditions in many rapidly urbanizing African cities remain poorly understood due to limited pedestrian-focused planning and inadequate spatial datasets. This study develops a Geographic Information System (GIS)- based Composite Walkability Index (CWI) for Uyo Urban Area, Nigeria, through the integration of open geospatial datasets and field-based measurements. The study employed a survey-based and spatial analytical approach combining household surveys, field observations, pedestrian counts, OpenStreetMap datasets, satellite imagery, and GIS techniques. Principal Component Analysis (PCA), regression analysis, rasterization, Kriging interpolation, and map algebra were applied to identify the major determinants of walkability and generate a spatially explicit walkability index. The findings reveal that walkability in Uyo is significantly influenced by land-use structure, street connectivity, accessibility, pedestrian infrastructure, and environmental quality. Areas characterized by mixed land uses, connected street networks, and improved pedestrian facilities recorded higher pedestrian activity levels, whereas peripheral neighbourhoods with poor infrastructure exhibited lower walkability conditions. Regression analysis further showed that the extracted walkability components jointly explained 49.8% of the variation in pedestrian traffic volume, with land-use mix and connectivity emerging as the strongest predictors of walking activity. Spatial analysis revealed a distinct core–periphery pattern in the distribution of walkability across the metropolis. The study demonstrates that integrating open geospatial datasets with field observations provides a practical and cost-effective framework for walkability assessment in data-constrained urban environments. The resulting Composite Walkability Index offers a valuable decision-support tool for sustainable transport planning, pedestrian infrastructure improvement, and climate- responsive urban development in Nigerian cities.