A Study on Connectivity and Accessibility Between Tram Stops and Public Facilities: a Case Study in the Historic Cities of Europe
Urban Street Design & Planning 73 A study on connectivity and accessibility between tram stops and public facilities: a case study in the historic cities of Europe Y. Kitao1 & K. Hirano2 1Kyoto Women’s University, Japan 2Kei Atelier, Yame, Fukuoka, Japan Abstract The purpose of this paper is to understand urban structures in terms of tram networks by using the examples of historic cities in Europe. We have incorporated the concept of interconnectivity and accessibility between public facilities and tram stops to examine how European cities, which have built world class public transportation systems, use the tram network in relationship to their public facilities. We selected western European tram-type cities which have a bus system, but no subway system, and we focused on 24 historic cities with populations from 100,000 to 200,000, which is the optimum size for a large-scale community. In order to analyze the relationship, we mapped the ‘pedestrian accessible area’ from any tram station in the city, and analyzed how many public facilities and pedestrian streets were in this area. As a result, we were able to compare the urban space structures of these cities in terms of the accessibility and connectivity between their tram stops and their public facilities. Thus we could understand the features which determined the relationship between urban space and urban facilities. This enabled us to evaluate which of our target cities was the most pedestrian orientated city. Finally, we were able to define five categories of tram-type cities. These findings have provided us with a means to recognize the urban space structure of a city, which will help us to improve city planning in Japan.
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