PROPOSAL OF A SIDEWALK ACCESSIBILITY INDEX

Urban environments often present significant barriers to individuals with mobility disabilities, yet many cities lack comprehensive planning to ensure continuous, accessible routes. This paper addresses this gap by proposing a standardized Accessibility Index (AI) designed to evaluate the quality of sidewalks and street crossings from the perspective of wheelchair users. The authors aim to move beyond isolated infrastructure projects toward a systematic, data-driven approach for urban accessibility planning.

To create the index, the researchers identified five key variables that influence the comfort and safety of wheelchair travel: longitudinal profile (grade), surface pavement condition, construction material, effective sidewalk width, and the quality of street intersections.

To ensure the index reflected real-world needs, the authors conducted a survey with 45 wheelchair users. Participants ranked these five variables by importance, and the researchers used the Method of Successive Intervals to transform these subjective rankings into objective weights. The final AI is calculated by combining technical field evaluations of these variables with their respective user-derived weights. The authors then tested this methodology by evaluating three blocks in the central business district of São Carlos, Brazil, comparing their technical scores against the direct feedback of wheelchair users traversing the same routes.

The study found that the proposed index effectively identifies specific infrastructural deficiencies that hinder mobility. In the case study, the evaluated routes were largely deemed unsuitable for wheelchair users, with the index successfully highlighting where maintenance, design modifications, or new construction—such as ramps or improved pavement—were most urgently needed. The authors conclude that this methodology provides a practical tool for urban managers to prioritize infrastructure investments and ensure that public spaces are designed for a diverse range of human capabilities rather than a single standard.