Marlene co-authored an article in context of the Raise-IT project on walkability in urban areas. Her main contribution is the conceptual adaptation of the walk score® that is the conceptual basis for a GIS-based web app.
The article on a "walkability assessment for urban areas around railway stations along the Rhine-Alpine Corridor" was written by Noriko Otsuka (ILS), Christian Gerten (ILS), Dirk Wittowsky (University Duisburg-Essen) and our colleague Marlene Damerau. It was written in the context of the <link https: ec.europa.eu inea en external-link-new-window external link in new>Connecting Europe Facility (CEF)-funded <link https: www.egtc-rhine-alpine.eu projects raise-it-rhine-alpine-integrated-and-seamless-travel-chain external-link-new-window external link in new>RAISE-IT project and published in the Journal of Transport Geography (by Elsevier). In the article, new methodologies to assess and improve the walkability of urban areas are explored and discussed. Walkability refers to the ease or difficulty of accessing an area by foot and includes factors such as health benefits, improved conditions for the environment or the local economy. Railway stations in urban areas are commonly approached by foot although the walkability around these stations has not been subject to much research yet. The authors identified four criteria to assess the walkability around three railway stations along the Rhine-Alpine corridor in Germany: