An exploration of the concept of ‘walkability’ in a hot arid climate : the case of Makkah city

Abstract

There has been a growing issue in Saudi Arabia towards the walking environment and its quality to all street users in country with hot and arid climate. The City of Makkah is one of the most prominent world destinations due to its role as the holiest place in the Islamic religion. However, the poor infrastructural state of the city has continually posed a significant to the millions of people visiting and dwelling in the city. This research investigates the notion of walkability in the context of an urban area in the centre of one of the holiest places in the Islamic world. The primary concept is to explore and understand the factors that make a place walkable and examine the current condition of the area in relation to those overarching factors. Additionally, this research will describe the current situation in a micro-scale street level through people’s experience and perception and behaviour. Data collection and analysis were conducted using a mixed method approach and strategy. To get trustworthy conclusions, data from several sources - physical observation and activity observation on the site, interviews, and questionnaire survey - were gathered, interpreted, analysed, and triangulated. The data from two datasets were triangulated to discover the convergence of the results. Each approach has its own strengths and weaknesses, and triangulation was employed to complement each method in the research findings The findings of this study identified five critical factors affecting the walkability of streets for users in the central area of Makkah: 'comfort'; 'safety'; 'sense of crowding and congestion; accessibility; and connectivity. As such, these are the primary criteria that must be considered in order to increase the walkability of urban streets in Saudi Arabia. It was discovered that in the case of central Makkah streets, the issue of street design, particularly the width of sidewalks, is severe due to the design or presence of merchants on the majority of sidewalks and covered routes (trees/canopies). It was found that the users’ requirements of on central Makkah street depends on physical factors: path context which includes street design, visual interest of built environment, greenery/trees, and path quality which includes width, paving, street furniture, connectivity, accessibility. The findings indicate that safety features impact walking decisions in areas of Central Makkah where particular feelings, experiences, and behaviours occur in response to the physical environment. The experience and behaviour of pedestrians may be a psychological reaction to an uncomfortable feeling, which results in various behaviours related to the walking environment's safety.