Vol.:(0123456789) Transportation https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-018-9944-x 1 3 Using best–worst scaling to identify barriers to walkability: a study of Porto Alegre, Brazil Ana Margarita Larranaga 4  · Julián Arellana 1  · Luis Ignacio Rizzi 2  · Orlando Strambi 3  · Helena Beatriz Bettella Cybis 4 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018 Abstract This paper pursues three goals: (1) determining the relative importance of built environ- ment barriers limiting walkability, (2) analyzing the existence of an asymmetry in the way people evaluate positive and negative built environment characteristics, and (3) identifying solutions to tackle the main barriers and quantify their impact in walkability. A best–worst scaling survey was developed to compare the importance of eight diferent attributes of the built environment regarding walkability. Model results show an asymmetry negative– positive in the judgment and choice of built environment characteristics that promote and impede walkability. The most important barriers, obtained from worst responses, are con- nectivity, topography, sidewalk surface and absence of policemen. Walkability scores were computed for diferent neighbourhoods and diferent policy scenarios were forecasted. Simulation results from the worst responses indicate that improvements in sidewalk qual- ity, along with an increase in the number of police ofcers, lead to an 85% increase in the walkability score for the lower income neighbourhoods. Keywords Best–worst scaling · Discrete choice modelling · Walkability · Built environment barriers Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s1111 6-018-9944-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Ana Margarita Larranaga analarra@producao.ufrgs.br 1 Departamento de Ingeniería Civil y Ambiental, Universidad del Norte, Km. 5 Vía a Puerto Colombia, Barranquilla, Colombia 2 Departamento de Ingeniería de Transporte y Logística, Pontifcia Universidad Católica de Chile, Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Santiago, Chile 3 Transportation Engineering Department, University of São Paulo-Escola Politécnica, Av. Prof. Almeida Prado, Travessa 2, n° 83, São Paulo, SP, Brazil 4 Industrial and Transportation Engineering Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Osvaldo Aranha, 99 – 5° andar, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil