Abstract
University campuses offer unique opportunities to enhance walkability due to their compact structure, controlled environments, and concentrated daily activities. However, many campuses remain car-dependent despite short inter-building distances. This paper suggests a computational, optimization-based framework for evaluating and improving walkability on the campus of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Using a parametric workflow created in the Rhino/Grasshopper environment, an OpenStreetMap-derived mobility model was built with the Urbano plugin to simulate pedestrian accessibility based on Walk Score methodology. Analysis of the baseline walkability indicated a car-dependent environment, motivating targeted spatial interventions within the academic area. A generative design method was used to enhance walkability with the Galapagos evolutionary solver that determined optimal locations for newly introduced amenities. The model was optimized by minimizing cumulative network-based distances between new and existing amenities, enabling it to explore a wide variety of spatial scenarios and find the most accessible locations. The scenario-based evaluation approach evaluated two types of amenity and embedded the optimized solutions into the mobility model for the evaluation, which assesses pedestrian accessibility. Results indicate that even marginal, well-crafted interventions, if well placed with careful strategy, can substantially improve walkability, leading to a 15.33% improvement in Walk Score. Placed optimized amenities aligned with highly connected pedestrian corridors, underlining the influence of network geometry on accessibility. The research verifies the efficacy of combined generative design, network analysis, and optimization methods and suggests a scalable, data-driven framework to support pedestrian-oriented development in campus and similarly controlled urban environments.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 980-987 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Transportation Research Procedia |
| Volume | 97 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2026 |
| Event | 13th International Conference on Transport Survey Methods, 2026 - Danang, Viet Nam Duration: 30 Mar 2025 → 4 Apr 2025 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:Copyright © 2026. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Keywords
- Generative design
- optimization
- walkable Campus
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Transportation
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