Study of Driving Behavior in Ilioupolis, Athens According to the Environmental Affordances Theory

Abstract The urban space is characterized by specific qualities that may contribute to, or mitigate the social life. These qualities were described by James Gibson as “environmental affordances”. But beyond social life, such environmental affordances can affect other human behaviors, such as driving behavior. Such an approach can be particularly useful, since the objective in most European cities is to regain the social character of roads and streets and thus to reduce the speeds on the roads and the number of cars. Through this research, conclusions can be drawn related to road elements that contribute to the development of high traffic speeds to prevent their use during urban planning while encouraging the use of other qualities that will support the maintenance of low speeds of cars. In the light of the above, the specific research focuses on a neighborhood of the southern suburbs of Athens, Ilioupolsi. Through observations and an electronic survey, conclusions are drawn on the behavior of drivers in Ilioupolis. Finally, an attempt is made to generalize the effects of the specific physical characteristics in order to optimize the design of cities where the roads will be social spaces in addition to vehicle traffic channels.