Application of Walkability Index for Older Adults' Health in the Brazilian Context: The Case of Vitória-ES, Brazil

Abstract

This study follows up on the article 'Walkability Index for Elderly Health: A Proposal', published in 2020, as well its validation in the Historic Center of Porto, published in 2021. The 2020 article presented the theoretical and methodological bases relating qualities of public spaces, the walkability of older adults, and the direct benefits on health. The 2021 article validated the applicability of the index in the Historic Center of Porto, Portugal. Both articles incorporated the factor 'slope', solving a criticism evidenced in related literature about the slope being ignored in older adults' walking conditions studies. The present study, however, aims to validate the conceptual design of the Walkability Index for Elderly Health (WIEH) in the Brazilian context at the historic center of Vitória. The methodology included the analysis and evaluation of public spaces regarding the pedestrian network-urban fabric, urban scene, and safety-and the presence of slopes and/or stairways. Subsequently, these spaces were classified according to the WIEH, ascertaining their level of adequacy for older adults' walkability. The results show that paths friendly to older adults are rare and that the problems encountered focus primarily on the low quality of the pedestrian network and not on the existence of slopes and stairways.

Keywords: Vitória; WIEH; older adults’ health; older persons; public space; walkability index.

Figure 1

Location of Vitória-ES, Brazil, and older adults’ population per neighborhood. Source: created by the authors in 13 July 2021, based on GeoWeb/PMV data and cartography [54].

Figure 2

(a) Schematic plan of Vitória, from 1896 (black corresponds to its oldest occupation, red to the first embankments, and pink to the New Arrabalde Project for expansion; (b) Detail of the 1896 plan for the center of Vitória; (c) current morphology. Sources: (a,b): http://legado.vitoria.es.gov.br/baiadevitoria/ (accessed on 13 July 2021); (c): created by the authors, based on GeoWeb/PMV cartography [55].

Figure 3

(a) Center neighborhood delineation (white dash); (b) highlighting the study area in the historic center of Vitória, Brazil (yellow). Source: created by the authors in July 2021, based on GeoWeb/PMV cartography [55].

Figure 4

Photos of the study area in Vitória, Brazil, taken between January and March 2021 (a) Av. Jerônimo Monteiro; (b) Av. Jerônimo Monteiro, showing the absence of benches and people resting against the wall of the store; (c) passageway to Praça Costa Pereira; (d) passageway in front of R. João Aguirre; (e) Rua João Caetano, exclusively for pedestrians; (f) a corner of Praça Ubaldo Ramalhete Maia, with slope and crossing issues; (g) Rua João Aguirre, exclusively for pedestrians; (h) view of Rua Cerqueira Lima, exclusively for pedestrians, with stairway and street commerce in the background; (i) raised crosswalk at the intersection of Rua Prof. Baltazar and the pedestrian street Sete de Setembro; (j) stretch of Rua Duque de Caxias, with steps and a steep slope.

Figure 5

Land use in the study area, within the historic center of Vitória, Brazil. Source: created by the authors in July 2021, based on data and cartography from GeoWeb/PMV [54].

Figure 6

Urban afforestation in the study area, within the historic center of Vitória-ES, Brazil. Source: created by the authors in July 2021, based on data and cartography from GeoWeb/PMV [54].

Figure 7

Map of the classification according to the walking space suitability index (‘isw’) in the study area.

Figure 8

Map of stretch classifications within the study area, according to the index of slopes and stairs (‘is’).

Figure 9

Classification of sidewalks according to the Walkability Index for Elderly Health (WIEH).

Figure 10

Examples of stretches with the best WIEH ratings, thus considered age-friendly routes. (a) Pedestrian walkway, next to the Ubaldo Ramalhete square; (b) Rua Coronel Monjardim, next to Praça Irmã Josefa Hosana and near the Senior Citizen Center; (c) sidewalk at Costa Pereira Square, a major city landmark, surrounded by the Carlos Gomes Theater and Glória Theater—it provides access to Cidade Alta and to tourist attractions such as the São Diogo Staircase and the Metropolitan Cathedral.

Figure 11

Examples of stretches with the worst classifications, and thus spaces unfriendly to older adults according to the application of the WIEH (a) Rua Dionísio Rosendo, with stairway at the inflection angle; (b) Rua Dionísio Rosendo, with narrowing of the passage and uneven floor, heightening the risk of falls; (c) Rua Cerqueira Lima, the only shared street in the study area, presents a steep slope and several potholes; in the background, the access stairway to the Cathedral, through Dionísio Rosendo Street; (d) Rua Prof. Baltazar, with an incline greater than 10%, and which also provides access to the Cathedral.

Figure 12

Comparison of ‘isw’, ‘is’, and WIEH ratings.

Figure 13

Comparison of WIEH ratings as per initial parameters in the previous study and the WIEH reclassifications in this study, through parameter refinement (a) WIEH as per Table 15 and Figure 9; (b) final WIEH, with the adjusted parameters, as per Table 17 (values of the ‘isw’ rating bands).