An approach for evaluating pedestrian level of service based on sensory experience: a case study of commercial streets in Algiers, Algeria

The sensory dimension of pedestrian experience remains largely overlooked in pedestrian level of service (PLOS) studies. Moreover, existing PLOS models fail to fully capture pedestrian perceptions. The approaches used to model responses to street environments tend to be subjective in the selection and weighting of environmental variables. This paper aims to integrate pedestrian sensory experience into the PLOS evaluation through an objective approach. It builds on the findings of experimental cognitive-environmental studies to identify the variables that influence pedestrians’ emotional states. The proposed approach postulates that each street possesses unique characteristics that affect pedestrians’ emotions differently. This study proposes a PLOS model tailored to commercial streets, utilizing stepwise regression, and focuses on the commercial streets of Algiers, Algeria. The results show that the façade transparency, outdoor dining, sidewalk width, and vehicle volume impact the PLOS. The model can optimize the infrastructure design of commercial streets for more psychologically friendly experiences.