Meso- or micro-scale? Environmental factors influencing pedestrian satisfaction

•Multilevel models estimated the effects of the built environment on pedestrian satisfaction.•Both meso- and micro-scale attributes significantly affect pedestrian satisfaction.•Low-cost and feasible micro-scale interventions can improve pedestrian satisfaction.

Despite interest in walking and its environmental, health, and social benefits, little research has investigated pedestrian satisfaction, and its potential influence on walking decisions. The present study examines the relationships between pedestrian satisfaction, and a variety of built environment factors, in order to gain insight into urban design strategies that can improve pedestrian satisfaction. We analyzed a pedestrian survey, carried out in Seoul, Korea, which includes questions about personal characteristics, micro-scale environmental attributes, and the level of pedestrian satisfaction, together with Seoul GIS data, which provided meso-scale environmental variables. The multilevel models estimated the effects of environmental factors on the level of satisfaction of utilitarian and recreational walkers. The analysis identified significant effects of both meso-scale (e.g. density, intersection density, hilliness, and the presence of bus stops), and micro-scale (e.g. sidewalk width, and the presence of bus dedicated lanes, crossings, lamps, and trees) variables on pedestrian satisfaction. The results calls on researchers to investigate a comprehensive set of psychological and environmental factors, in order to understand the various aspects of pedestrian satisfaction, and the diverse motivations behind it, as well as on planners, to adopt diverse design approaches that will produce more satisfactory pedestrian environments.