RETHINKING WALKABILITY THROUGH UNIVERSAL DESIGN: AN ERGONOMICS-BASED FRAMEWORK FOR GREEN INCLUSIVE PATHWAYS IN NATURAL LANDSCAPES

Abstract

In recent decades, the concept of walkability has been mainly developed in urban contexts through indicators focused on the physical and infrastructural characteristics of pedestrian spaces. In natural and peri-urban contexts, however, the use of pathways is influenced by greater morphological, environmental, and experiential variability, making it necessary to rethink walkability from an inclusive perspective. This contribution proposes a critical reinterpretation of walkability in natural contexts, understanding it as the dynamic outcome of the interaction between individuals, the environment, and conditions of use, in line with an ergonomic and Environment and Human-Centred Design approach. The methodology is based on the analysis of paradigmatic user profiles and on the identification of physical, sensory-perceptual, and cognitive barriers that affect the use of natural pathways. These profiles are not intended as exhaustive categories, but as representative cases that help to make the complexity of person-environment interaction more explicit. Through a synthesis of recurring functional manifestations, the contribution highlights how difficulties such as physical fatigue, disorientation, reduced environmental legibility, and cognitive overload emerge transversally across different user profiles. Within this framework, Universal Design principles are used as a conceptual support to guide the identification of shared functional requirements, without prescriptive intent. The study is positioned as an exploratory contribution to the debate on inclusive walkability, offering a conceptual framework that may support future methodological developments, evaluation tools, and design processes that are more attentive to human diversity and overall well-being in natural environments.