Understanding the Impact of Street Patterns on Pedestrian Distribution: A Case Study in Tianjin, China

This paper investigates the impact of street pattern, metro stations, and density of urban functions on pedestrian distribution in Tianjin, China. Thirteen neighborhoods are selected from the city center and suburbs. Pedestrian and vehicle volumes are observed through detailed gate count from 703 street segments in these neighborhoods. Regression models are constructed to analyze the impact of the street pattern, points of interest (POIs), and vehicle and metro accessibility on pedestrian volumes in each neighborhood and across the city. The results show that when analyzing all neighborhoods together, local street connectivity and POIs had a strong influence on pedestrian distribution. Proximity to metro stations and vehicle accessibility had a minor impact. When analyzing each neighborhood separately, both local- and city-scale street patterns affect pedestrian distributions. These findings suggest that the street pattern provides a base layer for metro stations to attract both the emergence of active urban functions and pedestrian movement.