Parks – April 2015

The walk- time analysis assumed an average walking speed of 3.1 miles per hour, a commonly-accepted preferred walking speed. More information on that value can be found here at Wikipedia. The analysis looked at walk times of five, ten, 15, and 20 minutes, where a 5-minute walk covers about ¼ mile, and a 20-minute walk would cover about 1 mile (at 3.1 mph).

The drive-time analysis map uses posted speed limit values to determine how much distance could be covered in a set amount of time. Using speed limits, the drive time (in seconds) of each street was calculated. The analysis then looked at drive times of one, two, three, four, and five minutes to see how far a driver could get within each of those time limits.

Both analyses then calculated the number of households that were located inside each walk-time and drive-time interval and presented that as a percent of the total households in Kenton County.

All walk-time and drive-time analyses were conducted using a specialized GIS tool called Network Analyst—a detailed analytic tool that allows users to study service areas, drive times, routing, and barriers in a designated area using their own local data.

POSTSCRIPT: The Story Map of which this is a part may be found here. By the end of this Story Map experience, viewers will have a better understanding of Kenton County’s parks. Where drive-time and walk-time are illustrated here, total acreage of parks (by jurisdiction), and park amenities are included in the online interactive format.