Measurement of Urban Landscape Continuity Components on Increasing Inclination Walking in Urban Parks (A Case Study; Urban Parks in Shiraz)

Today, presence in urban spaces has led to prevalence of physical, mental and social diseases. The close relationship between physical activities and the surrounding urban environment has led the researcher to promote walking in order to improve the health of citizens from the point of view of environment and landscape design. Meanwhile, the role of urban parks as spaces to promote individuals’ social and physical activities is important. The main goal of this study is analyzing the relationship between the urban landscape connectivity (ULC), as a new concept in urban landscape architecture literature and the individuals’ willingness to walk in urban parks. A mixed method of research was used in this study, in which in the first phase, qualitative method was used to select case studies and priority concepts of ULC influencing walking. In the next phase, quantitative research methods were used to quantify ULC and walking. At the end of the comparison and analysis of the results, the relationship between the two variables was determined. The findings of the research showed that Janet Park with an average of 12.66 has the highest ULC, and Chamran park, with an average of 12.05, had the lowest ULC. Moreover, Janet Park, with an average of 14,625 pedestrians in counting, has the highest walkability and Chamran Park with an average of 8,324 people had the least amount of walking. The results showed that the highest level of walking was observed in parks with the highest ULC in Shiraz. Among the components of ULC, socio-cultural connectivity and functional connectivity played more important roles in increasing people's willingness to walk.