Making connections: Understanding pedestrian indices in Squamish, British Columbia

This research study explores the uses of both macrolevel and streetscape pedestrian environmental indices in Squamish, British Columbia. The introduction of several large-scale residential communities has been a recent occurrence in Squamish as a means to accommodate growing populations. Such residential communities also attempt to create a more pedestrian friendly environment, in a historically auto centric town. In this respect, Squamish is like other small town, sub- and ex-urban communities on the edge of major urban centres. The purpose of this analysis is to identify, using both indices, neighbourhood features that most impact pedestrian friendliness by comparing four case study neighbourhoods (dissemination areas) with contrasting geographies and characteristics. The takeaways from this research provide insight on the application and value of such indices, especially as they pertain to the pedestrian-oriented planning goals set by District of Squamish. While such indices have been created and studied for their effectiveness in population dense urban areas, their use in smaller edge cities have yet to be widely addressed in academic studies.