Towards Safer and More Walkable Cities: A Spatial Approach in Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans

Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) guide strategic urban mobility toward safer, low-impact modes. Designing and maintaining networks that reduce car dependency requires assessment of walkability and pedestrian safety. This study analyzes the road network of Vittoria (Ragusa, Italy) to support the SUMP with a scalable methodology. Geometric-functional attributes surveyed on-site are integrated with spatial accident data and evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. The workflow includes: (i) study area definition; (ii) network model reconstruction and data collection; (iii) integrated database construction and spatial analysis in QGIS. Indicators cover carriageway width, sidewalk provision and width, crossings, access ramps, gradient, continuity, and exposure to vehicle-pedestrian crashes. Buffer-based hotspot analysis around high-risk nodes supports a walkability evaluation with additional parameters. Results highlight issues poor sidewalk maintenance, discontinuities, missing ramps and signage, that hinder walkability and may reduce safety. These findings can guide targeted interventions and offer a practical tool for integrating walkability analysis into SUMPs.