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urban planning and design
Pedestrian Mobility in The Bronx
Project Type
Academic
(Individual)
Instructor
Jonathan Stiles
Tools
ArcGIS Pro, Illustrator,
R-Studio, Excel, InDesign
Location
New York City, USA
Completed Period
Fall 2024
The Bronx faces significant challenges in pedestrian mobility due to deficiencies in infrastructure and safety measures. Narrow sidewalks, unsafe crossings, and limited ADA-compliant features restrict mobility and exacerbate socioeconomic inequities, particularly in Priority Investment Areas (PIAs), which are predominantly home to low-income, non-white populations. Despite continuous interventions, 59% of pedestrian fatalities in The Bronx still occur at intersections, underscoring the persistence of unsafe walking environments.
The Bronx
What is Pedestrian Mobility?
Pedestrian mobility refers to the ability of individuals to navigate their environment safely, comfortably, and efficiently, accessing key destinations such as schools, parks, transit hubs, and services. It is a cornerstone of equitable urban design, enhancing public health, environmental sustainability, and community connectivity. The concept emphasizes the importance of walkable infrastructure, accessibility, and safety for all individuals, regardless of socioeconomic status or physical ability.
How is Pedestrian Mobility Measured?
Pedestrian mobility is a multifaceted concept that requires evaluating various dimensions influencing walkability and accessibility. This study employs a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) framework to assess pedestrian mobility across census tracts, focusing on five critical factors: Equity, Safety, Accessibility, Environmental Resilience and Walkability. Each factor is quantified using GIS-based spatial analysis and weighted based on its relative impact.
Equity
The Bronx is an ethnically diverse borough, with non-white populations making up the majority across its census tracts. The percentage of the white population varies significantly, ranging from a high of 85.07% to a low of 0.37%. This diversity showcases the borough’s vibrant cultural fabric but also highlights persistent socio-economic challenges.
Income distribution across The Bronx reveals notable disparities. Lower-income areas are predominantly found in census tracts with higher concentrations of non-white populations. Median income levels range from $14,680 to over $133,000. This economic divide emphasizes the unequal distribution of resources in the borough.
Percentage of Non-White Population
Median Income
Racial Distribution in The Bronx Census Tracts
Percentage of Non-White Population vs Median Income (R2 = 0.34)
Safety
Safety evaluates the risks pedestrians face, which can deter walking as a mode of transportation. By analyzing pedestrian injuries from motor vehicle collisions per census tract, high-risk areas can be identified.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) collects motor vehicle collision data through incident reports, documenting injuries to motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians across the city. This dataset, publicly available, provides granular details about collision locations, dates, and affected parties, enabling comprehensive spatial analyses.
The persons injured map represents the total number of injuries, combining data from the other three maps. It provides an overarching view of motor vehicle collision impacts across The Bronx, highlighting areas with the highest overall injury counts.
By breaking down this total, the pedestrians injured, cyclists injured, and motorists injured maps offer detailed insights into how different groups are affected. For example, clusters of pedestrian injuries are most frequent in the South Bronx, while cyclist injuries are concentrated in areas with limited cycling infrastructure.
Injuries from Motor
Vehicle Collisions
Motorist Injured
Cyclist Injured
Pedestrians Injured
Persons Injured
Accessibility
Accessibility measures how easily pedestrians can reach key destinations like parks, schools, transit stops, and healthcare facilities. GIS maps walkable zones within 1320 ft, 2640 ft, 3960 ft and 5280 ft evaluate network connectivity to daily needs.
Accessibility to public services in The Bronx show varying levels of accessibility across the borough. Libraries, for instance, are concentrated in central and southern areas, while parks are relatively accessible borough-wide, offering residents ample opportunities for recreation.
Education, Child Welfare, Youth
Subway Station
Parks, Gardens and
Historical Sites
Library and Cultural Programs
Environmental Resilience
Environmental Resilience examines how pedestrian environments adapt to challenges like heat exposure, identifying areas for improvement in comfort and walkability. The Heat Vulnerability Index (HVI) map by the NY State Department of Health shows significant disparities in The Bronx, with southern and central areas, marked by lower incomes, facing higher vulnerability due to limited shade, impervious surfaces, and socio-economic challenges.
While northern areas benefit from higher tree density, offering shade and heat relief, the South Bronx remains highly vulnerable despite relatively higher tree coverage, highlighting the impact of population density and infrastructure.
Heat Vulnerability Index (HVI)
Tree Density
Walkability
Walkability is defined by the proportion of sidewalk area to road area within each census tract, shedding light on the prioritization of pedestrian infrastructure over vehicular infrastructure. A higher percentage reflects a stronger emphasis on walkability, promoting walking, reducing car dependency, and ensuring equitable access to destinations.
Higher-income tracts often have lower sidewalk percentages due to lower density and car dependency, while lower-income areas face investment gaps that hinder pedestrian mobility.
Sidewalk-to-Road Area Percentage
Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA)
The Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) integrates multiple factors to evaluate pedestrian mobility across census tracts, assigning weights to reflect the relative importance of each metric. This process generates a composite score that identifies areas of greatest vulnerability and prioritizes interventions, offering a clear, data-driven framework for addressing mobility disparities.
The analysis identifies Census Tract 395 in the central Bronx as one of the most vulnerable areas (red). This tract, which includes East Tremont, continues to endure the long-term impacts of the Cross Bronx Expressway. Completed in 1960, the expressway displaced 5,000 residents, fractured the neighborhood, and introduced persistent noise, pollution, and physical isolation. These challenges have left the area with severely limited pedestrian mobility.
The findings highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions to address these disparities. Strategies such as expanding sidewalk coverage, improving safety measures, and investing in sustainable, pedestrian-friendly infrastructure can significantly enhance mobility and equity. By focusing on vulnerable tracts identified in this study, planners and policymakers can foster a safer, more accessible, and inclusive urban environment for all residents.
This research emphasizes the value of leveraging spatial data and MCDA to inform decision-making. Addressing these systemic challenges can guide The Bronx toward a future that prioritizes pedestrian well-being and equitable access to essential resources.
Poorest
Pedestrian
Mobility
The Bronx Pedestrian Mobility MCDA
Conclusion
The analysis of pedestrian mobility in The Bronx through Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) reveals significant disparities in infrastructure, safety, and accessibility across census tracts. Areas like Census Tract 395, located in the central Bronx, stand out as among the most vulnerable due to historical disruptions caused by infrastructure projects like the Cross Bronx Expressway. These tracts suffer from poor pedestrian connectivity, environmental challenges, and a lack of equitable infrastructure investments, all of which limit mobility and quality of life.
The findings also highlight the critical need for targeted interventions to address these disparities. Improvements such as expanding sidewalk coverage, enhancing safety measures, and investing in sustainable, pedestrian-friendly infrastructure can improve mobility and foster equity. By prioritizing vulnerable tracts identified in this study, planners and policymakers can create a safer, more accessible, and inclusive urban environment for all residents.
This research underscores the importance of leveraging spatial data and MCDA to inform decision-making, providing actionable insights to bridge gaps in pedestrian mobility and support sustainable urban development. Addressing these systemic challenges, The Bronx can move toward a future that prioritizes pedestrian well-being.
Limitations
This analysis provides valuable insights into pedestrian mobility in The Bronx but is limited by the scope of the data included. Important factors such as sidewalk condition, width, and material were not accounted for, which restricts the ability to evaluate accessibility and comfort accurately. Similarly, the absence of real-time pedestrian flow data prevents the identification of high-demand corridors or areas experiencing heavy foot traffic. Other critical elements, such as safety features like bollards, and pedestrian amenities such as benches or shade, were also not considered, which limits the assessment of perceived and actual safety. The integration of intersection density and its role in walkability, as well as a deeper analysis of how transit networks connect with pedestrian infrastructure, would provide a clearer understanding of connectivity.
Including community feedback from residents about their experiences with pedestrian infrastructure would add a qualitative dimension to the analysis, offering a more holistic view of challenges and opportunity. By incorporating these datasets, the study could provide a more comprehensive evaluation of pedestrian mobility, ensuring that recommendations are more precise, equitable, and effective in addressing the needs of the community.
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