Abstract
Walking, a universally available transport mode, has been important throughout human history. Recently, the emphasis on development of sustainable societies with emphasis on low carbon footprint has regenerated interest in pedestrian facilities and creation of seamless transport systems. Novelty of research work presented here is in its attempt to investigate walking in a framework consistent with the societal influence. For this purpose, general attitudes and preferences toward walking in different urban areas have been investigated to understand similarity and dissimilarity of pedestrian travel culture. This research work is based on field surveys in Japan Taiwan and South Korea. The present study provides a three-way comparison of pedestrian travel culture among the three countries. The paper focuses on the relationship between pedestrian behavioral characteristics, and personal characteristics such as lifestyle and stage of life. The analysis reveals that each country has an own identity in terms of the pedestrian culture.
