An online platform for assessing the pedestrian network
Sofiaplan is preparing an online platform that will enable citizens to support the assessment of the pedestrian network in the capital. The platform will collect data on the quality of the urban environment, in particular the pedestrian network such as sidewalks, alleys, shortcuts, underpasses, overpasses and intersections. The goal is for Sofia Municipality to build a completer and more detailed picture of pedestrian traffic and infrastructure in Sofia. This will help make it easier to identify places that need to be renovated and the environment improved.
Sofia's pedestrian infrastructure, presented in digital GIS format, will contain three main categories of elements:
- Pedestrian sections, including mainly sidewalks, but also parking lots or roads, when there is no alternative sidewalk and pedestrian traffic is shared on them.
- Alleys - separate alleys in parks, gardens and inter-block spaces, but also direct, informal paths created by pedestrians themselves
- Crossings - footpaths, traffic lights, underpasses and overpasses
The platform is being developed with the assistance of Yordan Dervishev (software developer) and the Informal Association (urban planners). To use it, you will need to register with a valid email, after which each user will be able to evaluate the items selected by him. When selecting an element, a questionnaire will be opened and, depending on the answers, an assessment will be formed on the basis of 4 criteria - accessibility and passability, quality of the pavement, comfort and attractiveness, security. When evaluating a section by several users, the average value of their ratings will be calculated. The pedestrian network of Sofia is 4500 km long and the objective assessment of the qualities of the pedestrian traffic on it is an achievable task only by including as many appraisers as possible - the residents of Sofia.
