Mobility in the Floating City: A Study of Pedestrian Transportation

This Interdisciplinary Qualifying Project worked to study and improve the mobility efficiency of the historic city center of Venice. We evaluated and quantified pedestrian traffic at 10 high volume bridges and 5 boat stops within the highly touristed and popular district of San Marco. A dynamic computer model visualizing pedestrian movement through San Marco was developed in collaboration with the RedFish Group to help understand the resultant effects of urban changes, public works and road closures, and public space management upon pedestrian mobility to ultimately increase mobility efficiency. Traffic through this model was validated by the field counts of pedestrian traffic. Concurrently, we developed a smart-phone navigation application to help both tourists and Venetians navigate the city using the public transit system.