Using google street view panoramas to investigate the influence of urban coastal street environment on visual walkability

Urban street walkability can effectively promote public health and the construction of livable cities. In addition, the coastal streets play a positive role in showing urban vitality and image. Due to the growing leisure needs of residents, measuring the visual walkability perception (VIWP) in urban streets and exploring the influence mechanisms of urban coastal street environments on VIWP have theoretical and practical significance. However, the methods of the previous walkability studies have limitations in terms of cost, time and measurement scale. Based on Google Street View Panoramic (GSVP) image data, this study used the semantic difference (SD) method with virtual reality (VR) technology to evaluate the VIWP of Fukuoka coastal streets. Meanwhile, the proportion of streetscape elements was extracted from GSVP images by semantic segmentation. The correlation and regression analyses were performed between the VIWP evaluation values and streetscape elements. Then, the regression model of the VIWP and the streetscape elements was established. The results showed that the natural features had a positive influence on VIWP in coastal streets. Correspondingly, trees were the strongest contribution rate for the VIWP, followed by shrubs, grasses and water, however, buildings and cars had a negative influence on VIWP. The method extends previous studies for measuring walkability, and optimization strategies were proposed to improve the visual quality of the coastal streets. It can be applied in the construction and management of walkable coastal street environments.