---
title: Walksheds User Manual
nav_order: 1
tags:
    - User Manual
    - External
    - User
---

## Walksheds User Manual

This user manual explains how to use the TDEI Walksheds tool.

_For a list of all guides on the TCAT Wiki, refer to the [Guides List](../../guides-list/index.md)._{ .guides-list-ref }

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### About Walksheds

The [TDEI Walksheds tool](https://walkshed.tdei.us) calculates pedestrian walkshed areas around a specified origin point.

A **walkshed** is the region reachable by pedestrians (on foot or by mobility device) within a given travel time or cost budget, given the characteristics of the surrounding pedestrian network: sidewalks, crossings, slopes, and barriers such as curbs and stairs.

Unlike a simple distance radius, a walkshed reflects real-world travel conditions. Two points equidistant from an origin may have very different costs to reach depending on slope, raised curbs or stairs, or whether the route requires crossing a busy street. The result is a realistic map of accessible space from your chosen origin point.

A TDEI account is required to sign in. You can register for one at [portal.tdei.us/register](https://portal.tdei.us/register).

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### Quick Start

1. **Register** for a [TDEI Portal](../../tdei/portal/index.md) account ([portal.tdei.us/register](https://portal.tdei.us/register)) and sign in to the Walksheds tool ([walkshed.tdei.us](https://walkshed.tdei.us))
2. **Select a dataset** in the **[Datasets tab](datasets.md)** and click **Build Router**
3. **Configure preferences** in the **[Preferences tab](preferences.md)**, or choose a profile
4. **Click on the map** to set an origin point and choose a travel time budget
5. **Read the results:** reachable paths are highlighted in blue

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### Table of Contents

Walksheds User Manual Table of Contents

#### [Getting Started](getting-started.md)

This section explains how to sign in, load a dataset, configure preferences, and generate your first walkshed.

#### [Interface Overview](interface.md)

This section introduces the Walksheds interface, including the sidebar tabs, map controls, and legend.

#### [Mobility Profiles and Preferences](preferences.md)

This section explains how to select a pre-defined mobility profile and how to customize individual routing preferences.

#### [Inspecting and Editing Features](edits.md)

This section explains how to inspect network edges on the map, edit their attributes, and review or remove changes.

#### [Scenarios](scenarios.md)

This section explains how to save walksheds as named scenarios and use them to compare results across different configurations or datasets.

#### [Datasets](datasets.md)

This section explains how to select a TDEI dataset and build the routing graph used for walkshed calculations.

#### [Batches](batches.md)

This section explains how to use the Batch tab to run multiple walkshed calculations from a single CSV file.

#### [Walkshed Information & Sidewalk Score](sidewalk-score.md)

This section explains how to view walkshed statistics and the Sidewalk Score feature of the Walksheds tool.