Análise comparativa da caminhabilidade em campi universitários: um estudo nos campi de Sumé e Sousa da Universidade Federal de Campina Grande.

Abstract

Sustainable urban mobility is a central challenge in contemporary urban planning, with walkability playing a key role in promoting accessibility, quality of life, and environmental sustainability. Universities, as spaces that replicate urban dynamics on a smaller scale, represent strategic settings for analyzing pedestrian mobility conditions. This study aimed to comparatively examine walkability conditions at the Centro de Desenvolvimento Sustentável do Semiárido (CDSA) and the Centro de Ciências Jurídicas e Sociais (CCJS) campuses of the Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG), located in Sumé and Sousa, Paraíba, Brazil, from the perspective of the academic community. A quantitative and descriptive research design was adopted, using structured questionnaires with a Likert scale administered to 224 campus users, including students, faculty, administrative staff, outsourced workers, and visitors. The analysis was based on the walkability model proposed by Medeiros and Vasconcelos (2021), with the incorporation of the street connectivity variable. Data were processed using descriptive statistics, Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis for instrument validation, and comparative analysis between the campuses. The results revealed significant differences in walkability conditions, particularly concerning sidewalk infrastructure, public and traffic safety, and environmental factors, highlighting critical weaknesses that hinder the promotion of active mobility in university environments. It is concluded that although both campuses show potential for pedestrian movement, strategic planning and management interventions are required to improve infrastructure quality and prioritize pedestrians, thereby fostering safer, more accessible, and more sustainable university spaces.