Desired Physical Environmentof Walking Street: A Case Study of Thalang Street, Phuket

Abstract

The main objective of the research were 1) to study the current physical
features of Thalang Road and the reasonable suitability for using the road as a walking
street, 2) to identify existing proplems, user behaviours, and activity patterns which
occurred in the walking street area, 3) to bring up the solution for developing the
physical environment of Thalang Road in Phuket.
The study involved two data collection methods, observation and interviews.
While the data were collected by survey and fieldwork observation which gathered the
physical environment, the useability of the road, and the activities on the road; the
user opinions and theories as to walking street were used to analyse the data for
finding the results and suggestions for Thalang Road.
The results revealed that Thalang Road contained several desired physical
conditions in terms of suitable location, various accesses to the site, and conveniences
to connect to other transportation networks. However, while bus stops, shuttle
services, and parking spaces were still not suitable, the environmental and physical
elements of the road were appropriate such as the road width, the road surface, and
the arrangments of stalls. Moreover, the scenery and visual aesthetics of the walking
street were acceptable, especially the architectural style of buildings with distinctive
local identity while the occurrence of current activities on the road was also
appropriate. Lastly, as the walking street management were inefficient, the matters of
toilets, sitting areas, street furniture, and several other facilities should be solved.