# Walkability Compass--A Space Syntax Solution for Comparative Studies
###### Abstract  
The ongoing discourse on air quality and climate changes positions walkability as a pivotal point of sustainable urban planning. Urban studies examine a city's walkability in terms of pedestrian flows, design qualities, and street network topology, leaving walkability comparative frameworks under development. Building on the space syntax theory, this research introduces a \"walkability compass\", a four spatial indicator-designed tool for city walkability assessment and comparison. The tools are being tested on eight Baltic region cities: Vilnius, Kaunas (LT), Malmo (SE), Riga (LV), Tallinn (ES), Gdansk, Bialystok, Lublin (PL). The nine-step method framework integrates four indexes: Gravity (Gr), Reach (Re), Straightness (St), and Population density (Pop). The \"walkability compass\" results reveal significant Re and St correlations; thus, visual and cultural aspects become the main factors in pedestrian-friendly cities. The spatial pattern typology has matched similar cities (Malmo and Kaunas) to work closely on sustainable urban planning development. In all case studies, specific walkability zones were mapped, but the Gr zones turned out to be the most compact ones (the Z-score of Gr was ranged from 355.4 to 584; other indexes oscillated between 209.4 and 542.6). The walkability mapping results are publicly shared via WebMap to stimulate the participatory discussion on case studies cities further development.  
walkability; space syntax; comparative analysis; Baltic region; Vilnius; Kaunas; Malmo; Riga; Tallinn; Gdansk; Bialystok; Lublin 2022120222022022022022022022022022022022022022022022022022022022022022022022022022022022022202220220222022202220222022202220222022202220222022202220222022202222022202222022202222  
be conducive to residents in the area walking for either leisure, exercise or recreation, to access services, or to travel to work\" [7]. Walkability is recognised as the property of a residential environment that promotes cycling with safety, comfort, and easy access to the attractions of daily life [8]. Walkability can also enhance issues not directly related to urban transport, such as nature appreciation or cultural geography teaching [8]. Moreover, the road network system's historical analysis can bring some narrative interpretations into a walk [9]; however, these approaches are more familiar to the most recent rural rather than urban geography studies [10].  
Walkability is also investigated using space syntax theory (explained in the next section), urban design, lifestyle, and spatial features [11]. Notably, the study uses space syntax theory and contributes to walkability research. Furthermore, the research method uses a graph theory to calculate spatial indexes, making the walkability phenomenon more predictive. Moreover, the study provides a decision support tool--the \"walkability compass\". The tool aims to diagnose and compare cities' walkability or neighbourhoods. The \"compass\" idea we describe (Section 2.2.3) and discuss (Section 5) is in terms of spatial planning implementation; hence, these research results may impact sustainable city development strategies as well.