Spatially varying associations between the built environment and older adults' propensity to walk

Abstract

Population aging has become a severe issue facing most nations and areas worldwide—with Hong Kong being no exception. For older adults, walking is among the most well-liked travel modes, boosting their overall health and wellbeing. Some studies have confirmed that the built environment has a significant (spatially fixed) influence on older adults' walking behavior. However, little consideration has been given to the potential spatial heterogeneity in such influences. Hence, this study extracted data on older adults' (outdoor) walking behavior from the 2011 Hong Kong Travel Characteristics Survey and measured a series of built environment attributes based on geo-data (e.g., Google Street View imagery). Logistic regression and geographically weighted logistic regression models were developed to unveil the complicated (including spatially fixed and heterogeneous) association between the built environment and older adults' propensity to walk. We show that population density, land-use mix, street greenery, and access to bus stops are positively connected with the propensity to walk of older adults. Intersection density seems to impact walking propensity insignificantly. All built environment attributes have spatially heterogeneous effects on older adults' walking behavior. The percentage of deviance explained is heterogeneously distributed across space.

Influence of the Built Environment on Older Adults’ Travel Time: Evidence from the Nanjing Metropolitan Area, China

“…Furthermore, it has been observed that older adults' physical and psychological aging leads to a preference for traffic facilities. Streets with high traffic volumes and uneven gradients tend to lower older adults' willingness to travel; older adults prefer to travel on streets that have better amenities and less traffic flow [49]. Older adults' physical states did not significantly influence their choice to travel at different times.…”

“…A higher number of routes signifies enhanced access to destinations. Prior research showed that older adults generally preferred walking as their primary travel mode [49]. In metropolitan areas, more vehicles travel on primary and secondary roads, which can pose risks to older pedestrians.…”

Influences of Spatial Accessibility and Service Capacity on the Utilization of Elderly-Care Facilities: A Case Study of the Main Urban Area of Chongqing

“…Previous studies have suggested that walking is the most popular mode of transportation for older adults, and benefits their overall health and well-being [ 17 , 54 , 55 ]. Furthermore, a survey of older adults in Chongqing showed that 67.3% walked to travel, and 78.9% travelled within a two-kilometre radius [ 56 ].…”

“…The inequality of social service resources for disadvantaged groups has been a primary concern in sustainable urban development [ 15 , 16 ]. Researchers have grown more interested in EFC disparity in recent years [ 17 ]. Various methods have been used to assess public service equality, including spatial accessibility, Gini coefficient analysis, and spatial autocorrelation analysis [ 3 ].…”