Journal of Transport and Land Use

Walkability indices and travel behavior: Insights from Montréal, Canada

Hisham Negm

McGill University

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1464-2640

Ahmed El-Geneidy

McGill University

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0942-4016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5198/jtlu.2025.2612

Keywords: Walkability, Index, Travel behavior, Shopping, North America

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Abstract

Walkability indices are developed to evaluate the quality of the built environment and its suitability for walking. Over the past decade, several walkability indices were developed and promoted by public and private entities around the world. Comparing and validating these indices are essential to ensuring their reliability for adoption in practice. One method to validate such indices is to examine their predictive power for utilitarian and discretionary walking behavior. This study uses data from a large-scale travel survey (N=4,715), conducted in Montréal, Canada, to examine the predictive power of six region-specific walkability indices on weekly walking mode share for various purposes, namely work, school, shopping, leisure, and healthcare. We find that the Canadian Active Living Environments (Can-ALE) index and its extended version, Can-ALE/Transit, are the best predictors of overall weekly walking mode share for all purposes combined, shopping, and leisure activities. Walk Score® had the highest predictive power on walking behavior for healthcare purposes. While the cumulative opportunities measure (30-minute travel time) was the most effective for predicting commute walking behavior. This research provides valuable insights for practitioners and policymakers, guiding them in selecting the most suitable walkability indices to promote walking behavior in the Canadian context.

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