Extended Abstract
Introduction
Walkability has increasingly been recognized as a fundamental principle of human-centered urban design, contributing to social vitality, environmental sustainability, and improved urban quality of life. Streets, as primary public spaces in cities, play a central role in shaping pedestrian experience. However, evaluating environmental quality in historic shared streets—where pedestrian and vehicular movements coexist—remains a complex issue. In heritage-sensitive contexts, spatial constraints, cultural identity, and mixed land-use patterns create multidimensional environmental conditions that directly influence walkability.Although numerous studies have addressed pedestrianization and environmental quality in urban streets, comprehensive perception-based assessments of environmental quality in historic shared streets are relatively limited, particularly within Iranian cities. Most previous research has focused either on macro-scale indicators such as land-use diversity or on fully pedestrianized areas, leaving a gap in understanding how micro-scale environmental qualities affect pedestrian perception in shared historic streets.This study aims to evaluate the environmental quality of Nazar Street, located adjacent to the historic-cultural district of Jolfa in Isfahan, from a walkability perspective and to determine priority areas for intervention based on users’ perceptions.
Methods
This applied research adopts a descriptive–analytical approach. The study area, Nazar Street, represents a historic shared street characterized by mixed pedestrian and vehicular movement, commercial activities, and cultural significance.Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire structured on a five-point Likert scale. Environmental quality was operationalized across five dimensions:

Functional
Physical–Spatial
Economic
Socio–Cultural
Accessibility

The statistical population consisted of street users. Using Cochran’s formula, a sample size of 370 respondents was determined. Sampling was conducted through convenience sampling at different times of the day to ensure diversity in user responses.The reliability of the instrument was confirmed through Cronbach’s alpha (α = 0.876), indicating strong internal consistency. Since data distribution was non-normal, non-parametric statistical methods were applied. These included:

One-sample Wilcoxon test
Friedman test for ranking dimensions
Spearman correlation coefficient
Quantile regression to examine inter-dimensional relationships

Additionally, Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA) was employed to identify priority intervention areas. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS (Version 26) and Microsoft Excel.
Results & Discussion
The findings indicate that the overall environmental quality of Nazar Street is evaluated above the neutral midpoint (p < 0.05), suggesting a generally positive perception among users. However, significant differences were observed among the five dimensions.The Friedman test revealed that the Physical–Spatial dimension received the lowest ranking among all dimensions. At the same time, Spearman correlation analysis demonstrated that this dimension had the strongest relationship with overall environmental quality. The IPA matrix positioned the Physical–Spatial dimension in the “Concentrate Here” quadrant, indicating high importance but comparatively lower performance. This result identifies physical–spatial qualities as the primary priority for intervention.
At the indicator level, the most critical weaknesses included insufficient greenery, weak spatial legibility and wayfinding, poor pavement quality, and a lack of harmony between urban elements and the historic identity of the Jolfa district. These factors directly influence perceived safety, movement comfort, and users’ willingness to remain in the space.Conversely, socio-cultural vitality and accessibility were evaluated more positively. The presence of cultural activities, local identity elements, and mixed land uses contributed to a sense of belonging and functional attractiveness. Correlation analysis and quantile regression further revealed generally weak and, in some cases, negative relationships among dimensions, a pattern that persisted even after controlling for other dimensions simultaneously.This suggests that environmental quality in historic shared streets operates as a multidimensional and partially independent structure. Improvements in one dimension do not automatically lead to improvements in others, highlighting the necessity of targeted and dimension-specific interventions.The prominence of the Physical–Spatial dimension confirms that in historic shared streets, micro-scale environmental qualities—such as pavement condition, visual coherence, spatial clarity, and streetscape design—play a structural role in shaping pedestrian experience. In such contexts, walkability is not solely dependent on land-use diversity or accessibility but is strongly influenced by fine-grained spatial design and environmental quality.
Conclusion
The study demonstrates that while Nazar Street benefits from socio-cultural vitality and relatively good accessibility, its long-term pedestrian sustainability is constrained by weaknesses in physical–spatial environmental quality. The primary challenge is not the absence of activity or economic performance but deficiencies in spatial organization, streetscape quality, and alignment with historic identity. Based on the Importance–Performance Analysis, intervention priorities can be structured as follows: First priority: Improvement of physical–spatial quality, including upgrading pavement materials, increasing greenery, enhancing spatial legibility through coherent wayfinding systems, and harmonizing urban furniture with the historic character of the area. Second priority: Stabilizing functional performance and improving pedestrian safety within the shared traffic environment.
Third priority: Reinforcing socio-cultural and economic potentials through small-scale cultural programming and identity-based place-making strategies. By integrating perception-based evaluation with importance prioritization, this research provides an empirical framework for enhancing walkability in historic shared streets. The findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of multidimensional environmental quality and offer practical guidance for human-centered urban design interventions in heritage contexts.