Perception Evaluation and Optimization Strategies for the Walking Environment in TOD Communities: a Case Study of Chengdu

The construction of walking-friendly communities under the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) model is of great significance to the realization of sustainable urban development. However, many cities focus on the high-intensity development of TOD, paying insufficient attention to pedestrians’ walking perception experience. In this paper, the Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) method was used to construct a perception evaluation model of the walking environment in TOD communities, based on five dimensions: convenience, diversity, aesthetics, restorative quality, and safety. Six typical TOD communities in Chengdu were selected as samples to assess their walking experience from the perspective of residents’ perceptions. The results showed that 9 factors—including supporting service facilities, leisure activity space, pavement flatness, and pedestrian right-of-way—performed poorly in the walking environment of TOD communities in Chengdu. At the same time, based on the resource dominance of the study area, the TOD communities were divided into three categories: commercial agglomeration, park network, and educational agglomeration. Among these, residents of the educational agglomeration communities paid more attention to restoration and diversity but reported lower satisfaction. Residents of commercial agglomeration TOD communities were less satisfied with restoration and safety. Meanwhile, the walking environment convenience in park network TOD communities failed to meet expectations. Finally, for different types of TOD communities, targeted strategies and measures were proposed from the aspects of healing function, slow traffic system, and walking safety.