Urban greenway planning: Identifying optimal locations for active travel corridors through individual mobility assessment

Greenways are planned for various goals including nature conservation and promoting mobility by foot or bike in urban areas. A challenge associated with designed greenways pertains to their underutilization for mobility. Due to their multi-functionality greenways are usually not designed with a focus on active mobility, and thus, do not necessarily correspond with daily mobility patterns. This study addresses this issue by devising a methodology for the identification of optimal locations for active urban greenways within a metropolitan expanse, strategically aligned with the day-to-day pursuits of its inhabitants. Distinguished from prior greenway research, this investigation emphasizes individual mobility and adds a novel perspective to greenway planning. The method was tested in the city of Mashhad in Iran. By employing the Analytic Hierarchy Process methodology in conjunction with a Geographic Information System (GIS) and a gravity formula, a meticulous selection process yielded 19 nodes (sites) deemed most suitable for greenway implementation, selected from a pool of 93 prospective nodes. These findings offer pragmatic insights into the expansion of greenways tailored to the daily activities of urban inhabitants, thus complementing established greenway paradigms and strengthening the mobility dimension and active travel corridors in urban greenway planning.