Avaliando a dificuldade de caminhar em centros históricos e comerciais segundo a percepção do usuário: o caso da área central de Pelotas / RS.

Abstract

This study investigates which elements of urban space, perceived through the senses of sight, smell, hearing and kinesthetic, influence the perception of walking for mobility in commercial centers which coincide spatially with areas of historical interest. The overall goal is to provide theoretical consider these elements and which can be applied in future urban standards to revitalize the historic and commercial centers where pedestrian mobility is impaired. We adopted the city of Pelotas (RS) as an object of study because (i) that own the commercial center located geographically within an area of historical and cultural interest, (ii) no studies related to mobility problems generated by the heavy flow pedestrians and vehicles, and (iii) the researcher is part of the Municipal Administration and projects related to urban mobility in the city. The methodology is based on two methods of data collection: (i) survey file and (ii) field surveys, the latter includes physical surveys, observations and questionnaires administered to users of the study area. For data analysis methods are used in quantitativ e analysis of the questionnaires (nonparametric statistics) and qualitative analysis to survey data file, physical survey and observations. The results of this investigation show that the conditions to improve pedestrian mobility in the historical center study should be considered both elements of the urban space that facilitate pedestrian mobility as those that make the space more agreeable. Thus, it is suggested that should be evaluated not only the visual aspects of the environment, but also non-visual, smells and sounds like. In addition, we have also found that urban design, maintenance and organization of space, influence perceptions of mobility and agreeable of the walk through the pedestrian urban space investigated. It is hoped that the data is in awaken interest in the development of further studies on the non-visual aspects of the environment that influence the mobility of pedestrians.