Thomas Tiemann, Jefferson Pilot Professor of Economics, and Alan Scott, assistant professor of psychology, along with recent psychology and sociology graduate Katerine Atkins, have published a paper, "Sidewalks, Streets, and Walkability," in Spaces and Flows: An international journal of urban and extraurban studies.
The interdisciplinary paper, which also included an undergraduate’s research, uses computer simulations of streetscapes to explore what makes one sidewalk more walker-friendly than another. It builds on Tiemann’s interests and other work on street-level activity in cities, Scott’s methodological expertise developed while studying how visually-impaired pedestrians negotiate city streets, and Atkins’ experience with gathering data and conducting experiements with human subjects.
The paper was funded by the Office of Undergraduate Research, the Department of Psychology, and a sabbatical grant from the Faculty Research and Development Committee.