Walkability Evaluation of Historical and Cultural Districts Based on Multi-Source Data: A Case Study of the Former Russian Concession in Hankou

With the rapid development of urban motorized transportation, the narrow and aging streets in historical and cultural districts can no longer meet modern traffic demands. The development of pedestrian systems and the improvement in street walkability have become important issues in the preservation and renewal of these districts. Although walkability research has established a relatively systematic theoretical framework and technical methods, current studies predominantly focus on modern urban roads due to limited attention to the unique characteristics of streets within historical and cultural districts. As a mixed-use area integrating residential, commercial, and tourism functions, the former Russian concession in Hankou features diverse street types and a rich spatial texture, making it a representative case for walkability research in historical districts. This study aimed to construct a walkability evaluation framework suited to the characteristics of such districts. First, relevant literature was reviewed and combined with the actual conditions of streets in the study area to select evaluation indicators and reconstruct the framework. Second, based on multi-source data, a comprehensive evaluation was conducted using spatial syntax, semantic segmentation, and GIS spatial analysis. The results show that streets with high walkability scores are mainly concentrated in the core tourism area and are strongly associated with the distribution of historical buildings. Finally, based on the evaluation results, three groups of representative streets were compared to analyze differences in pedestrian environments. Key issues such as low spatial quality and functional disorder were identified, and targeted optimization strategies are proposed. The findings provide useful references for the future preservation and sustainable renewal of historical and cultural districts.