Influence of pedestrians' subjective perception and gender on pedestrian environment satisfaction

Pedestrian Satisfaction has been studied to be influenced by both objectively and subjectively measured variables. However, there are only a few studies examining the subjective perception of pedestrians by gender and their potential impact on pedestrian satisfaction. This study investigated gender differences in pedestrian satisfaction and subjective perceptions of the safety, convenience, and comfort using 14 sub-elements of the pedestrian environment. And not only the satisfaction factors of pedestrians but also the moderation effect of gender were analyzed. Data were collected from a total of 250 participants (48% male and 52% female). As a result, it can be said that the difference in subjective perception according to the gender of pedestrians is evident in most street types, and there are also differences in factors according to gender by each street type. And the most important factor is the perception of the ‘Ground floor facility use’ and ‘Traffic safety’. Finally, although gender did not have a statistically significant effect on pedestrian satisfaction, it was found that females underestimate pedestrian satisfaction compared to males when pedestrians had the same perception of ‘Traffic safety’ or ‘Eyes on the street’. In summary, this study has strengths in that it confirmed that the gender is a quasi-moderating variable that can indirectly affect pedestrian satisfaction. From the results, it is expected that this study will be helpful for the future urban planning and policies to improve pedestrian satisfaction.