Walkability in Campus, Case study of University Technology Malaysia

Abstract

Education is an endeavor that is highly sensitive to location. The physical environment of a campus does much to stimulate and support the mind, body, and spirit of those who study, live, and work there. The concept of ‘Walkability’ provides a primary principle of sustainability in urban design that anchored people’s perception, influence their perspective and behavior. This study focus on the improvement and enhancement of the quality of campus environment in terms of walkways and open spaces. It express the relationship of physical infrastructure with the walkability, the impact of open spaces on walkable area. The objective of this research is to study about the principles of walkability and to identify the problems of walkability in UTM campus. The scope of this dissertation is limited to the surrounding area of library in UTM. University Technology Malaysia has been chosen as a case study for this dissertation. The research methods used consisted of a questionnaire and behavioral observation. A total of 100 respondents were included. The resulting data were statistically analyzed. The results obtained by questionnaire were supported by the findings obtained from other techniques (behavioral observation). The research found that many physical infrastructure problems decrease the student’s willing to walk. The results show that way which has more open space through the walkways, appropriate street furniture for activities such as seating and places for refreshment, gathering with friends or using wireless internet is used more than the other ways. This findings indicated that a campus with more open space tends to create a sustainable pattern of life on campus.