Strategies of enhancing the vitality of pedestrian spaces based on multi-factor assessment

Pedestrian space is the main place for people to move around and interact, and is closely related to the vitality of the city. However, with rapid urbanisation, pedestrian spaces are experiencing a loss of vitality, with the good urban public life disappearing. Since the end of the last century, valuing pedestrian space and enhancing public vitality has been a worldwide call. The question before us is how to create intimate and vibrant pedestrian spaces in a fast-moving modern city. It is of great practical importance to review the development of related theories, examine the current situation of urban pedestrian spaces, and study the methods of enhancing the pedestrian space vitality. This research aims to establish a methodology for evaluating the vitality of pedestrian spaces, and to explore subsequent analysis and design tools to provide guidance for the construction and renovation of urban pedestrian spaces. Firstly, through the literature review study, the definition of pedestrian space vitality was clarified and the relevant principles behind it were elaborated, laying the foundation for the subsequent assessment. Secondly, the assessment factors were identified in conjunction with other related studies, and a multi-factor assessment method for the vitality of pedestrian space was established. The method was then applied to evaluate the vitality of the Ningbo Tianfeng Pagoda neighbourhood, obtaining the current status of the neighbourhood's vitality distribution and the problems existing in the area. Finally, based on the assessment results, a strategy for pedestrian space vitality enhancement was formulated and designed in detail. This research divides the assessment of vitality into two dimensions: the assessment of the characteristics of public activities and the assessment of the environmental conditions behind them, unifies the results of each factor using a five-dimensional scale, and explores the interrelationships between the factors. It is hoped that a more scientific and accurate strategy for enhancing the vitality of public spaces can be derived from the mechanisms that generate public activities. As urban environments vary around the world, such locally adapted and realistic strategies for evaluating and designing pedestrian spaces can be useful inspiration for old city regeneration, urban design, community creation, etc.