A practical participatory tool to get conversations started
Walk audits are one of the most accessible and useful tools for understanding how a street feels and functions from the perspective of people on foot. They allow participants to observe, discuss and record the quality of walking conditions in a structured way, while also creating a shared basis for advocacy, design proposals and policy recommendations.
At IFP, we use walk audits as a people-centred method to document everyday pedestrian realities that are often overlooked in conventional transport planning. They help reveal where walking is comfortable, inclusive and safe, and where barriers, danger or neglect continue to shape the experience of moving through public space.
Our Adult Walk Audit is designed to support local groups, campaigners, practitioners, municipalities and researchers who want to examine streets in a simple but systematic way, it was elaborated as part of our involvement in the Horizon Europe project REALLOCATE. The main focus of our Walk Audit is to get diverse people talking and show them where to look, considering a series of aspects that they might have never considered. It combines numerical scoring with observations so that both measurable patterns and lived experience can be captured.
What the audit looks at
The audit is organised around six key themes that influence walkability and pedestrian wellbeing.
Sidewalks
This section looks at width, obstacles, condition and accessibility. It helps identify whether pavements are wide enough, continuous, well maintained and usable for people with wheelchairs, strollers and other mobility needs.
Crosswalks
This section assesses crossings, visibility and accessibility. It is designed to show whether pedestrian crossings are located where people naturally want to cross, whether they are visible and signalled, and whether they include universal design elements.
Motorised vehicles
This section examines speed, traffic, pollution and conflicts with pedestrians or cyclists. It makes visible how vehicle dominance affects walking conditions and how road danger is experienced at street level.
Environment
This section considers comfort and joy, noise, cleanliness, and green spaces and shade. It helps move beyond a narrow safety lens and recognises that a good walking environment should also be pleasant, healthy and inviting.
Care and community
This section focuses on benches, social interaction and spaces for playing. It reflects the idea that streets are not only corridors for movement, but also places of care, encounter, waiting, rest and everyday life.
Security
This section looks at whether the area is mapped and signposted, whether there is a sense of being guarded or watched over, and whether it feels safe at night. Additional observations can also be made on lighting and hostile or exclusionary design features.
Why walk audits matter
Walk audits are valuable because they connect technical assessment with lived experience. They can be used to:
- identify barriers to accessibility and inclusion
- document unsafe or uncomfortable conditions for pedestrians
- support local campaigning and evidence-based advocacy
- inform neighbourhood plans, street redesign and mobility strategies
- compare different areas within a city
- create maps and visualisations of walking conditions
- bring residents, professionals and decision-makers into direct dialogue around the street environment
They are particularly useful in contexts where pedestrian issues remain under-measured, underfunded or politically marginalised.
Who can use this tool
The walk audit can be used by a wide range of actors, including community groups, pedestrian advocates, disability organisations, schools, researchers, planners, consultants and public authorities. It can be applied in small local walks or in broader city-wide assessments.
Because the method is structured but flexible, it can be adapted to different urban contexts and combined with mapping, interviews, photography or other participatory tools.
A people-centred reading of the street
What makes this tool especially useful is that it does not reduce walking to movement alone. It recognises that streets must work not only for circulation, but also for care, sociability, play, comfort, accessibility and dignity. In that sense, the audit can support a broader understanding of public space as a common good.
