Examining Walkability and Social Capital as Indicators of Quality of Life at the Municipal and Neighborhood Scales

Rogers, Shannon H.; Halstead, John M.; Gardner, Kevin H.; Carlson, Cynthia

doi:10.1007/s11482-010-9132-4

Cited by 173 publications

(120 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Mehta's (2008, 238-239) work refining a hierarchy of walking needs places this dimension at the top as the "sense of belonging"; in addition, "presence of people and activities" is in Mehta's penultimate category called sensory pleasure. A secondary part of this literature relates to social connectedness and walkability, proposing that more walkable places have higher social capital or provide mental health benefits from interaction (Berke et al 2007;Rogers et al 2011). iv As Zook et al propose in an article on smart growth and walkability, "Walkability and urban liveliness are not the same thing, nor does the presence of one guarantee the presence of other" (Zook et al 2012, 232).…”

Section: Lively and Sociablementioning

confidence: 99%

What is a walkable place? The walkability debate in urban design

2015

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What exactly is meant by the term "walkability"? In professional, research, and public debates the term is used to refer to several quite different kinds of phenomena. Some discussions focus on environmental features or means of making walkable environments, including areas being traversable, compact, physically-enticing, and safe. Others deal with outcomes potentially fostered by such environments, such as making places lively, enhancing sustainable transportation options, and inducing exercise. Finally some use the term walkability as a proxy for better design whether composed of multiple, measurable dimensions or providing a holistic solution to urban problems. This review both problematizes the idea of walkability and proposes a conceptual framework distinguishing these definitions. This matters for urban design, because what is considered a walkable place varies substantially between definitions leading to substantially different designs. By mapping the range of definitions, this review highlights potential conflicts been forms of walkability.

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Section: Lively and Sociablementioning

confidence: 99%

What is a walkable place? The walkability debate in urban design

2015

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“…If people are to enjoy health and developmental benefits of independent mobility, a key priority must be in reducing exposure to traffic and in increasing surveillance on streets through neighborhood and building design, by encouraging others to walk locally, and by discouraging motor vehicle use in favor of walking and cycling. According to Rogers et al, (2010): . Walkable scores for selected three east Texas counties: physical activity and policy implications.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed walkability has been linked to quality of life in many ways. According to Rogers et al, (2010), health related benefits of physical exercise, the accessibility and access benefits of being able to walk to obtain some of your daily needs, or the mental health and social benefits of reduced isolation are a few of the many positive impacts on quality of life that can result from a walkable neighborhood. This is even more so in the modern society where in the face of increasing energy costs and climate considerations, the ability to walk to important locations is a key component of sustainable communities (Rogers et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Walkable scores for selected three east Texas counties: physical activity and policy implications

Simiyu¹,

Njororai²,

Jivetti

2015

HumanSciences

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Introduction: Physical activity has become an important intervention against overweight and obesity cases in the USA and worldwide. One key aspect of physical activity is walking, which has been identified as a component that can easily be incorporated into one's lifestyle. Recent studies on physical activity have focused on promoting walking as a health enhancing endeavor. In 2010, the proportion of Texas adults who reported no participation in leisure time activity (26.7%) was significantly higher than the national average (24.4%). However, many Texans, like most Americans, are sedentary. Purpose: This study examined the walkability of the environments in selected counties in east Texas including Wood, Van Zandt and Smith counties. Methods and material: The data was drawn from the Walkscore.com and was based on all the zip codes in the three counties in east Texas. The community capitals were used a framework for analysis. Results: Only three (8.82%) zip codes had walkable scores between 70 and 89; five (14.71%) had scores between 50 and 69; four (11.76%) between 25 and 49 and 22 (64.71%) had a score below 24. Discussion: The vast majority (26, 76.47%) of zip codes are highly dependent on vehicle transport. Conclusions and recommendations: Stakeholders need therefore to focus on causes for the minimal walkability so that practical interventions are generated to enhance the physical activity friendly infrastructure so as to enhance the well-being of the residents in these three east Texas counties.

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“…This movement has gathered momentum as the issues of neighborhood walkability have become linked to those of economic, environmental, and public health benefits [2]. Walkable neighborhoods produce economic, environmental, and neighborhood advantages including increase in property values, decrease in traffic-related air pollution, and strengthened social integration in neighborhoods [3][4][5][6]. Beyond the creation of socioeconomic benefits, several public health studies have reported that neighborhood walkability offers various public health benefits, especially the prevention or control of many chronic diseases as well as the reduction of healthcare costs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What’s the Score? Walkable Environments and Subsidized Households

Kim

Woo

2016

Sustainability

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Neighborhood walkability can influence individual health, social interactions, and environmental quality, but the relationships between subsidized households and their walkable environment have not been sufficiently examined in previous empirical studies. Focusing on two types of subsidized housing developments (Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and Public Housing (PH)) in Austin, Texas, this study evaluates the neighborhood walkability of place-based subsidized households, utilizing objectively measured Walk Score and walking-related built environment data. We also used U.S. Census block group data to account for the socio-demographic covariates. Based on various data, we employed bivariate and multivariate analyses to specify the relationships between subsidized households and their neighborhood walkable environment. The results of our bivariate analyses show that LIHTC households tend to be located in car-dependent neighborhoods and have more undesirable walking-related built environment conditions compared with non-LIHTC neighborhoods. Our regression results also represent that LIHTC households are more likely to be exposed to neighborhoods with low Walk Score, less sidewalk coverage, and more highways and major roads, while there are no significant associations for PH households. These findings imply that more attention and effort toward reducing the inequitable distributions of walkable neighborhood features supporting rather than hindering healthy lifestyles must be provided to subsidized households.

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Examining Walkability and Social Capital as Indicators of Quality of Life at the Municipal and Neighborhood Scales

Cited by 173 publications

References 15 publications

What is a walkable place? The walkability debate in urban design

What is a walkable place? The walkability debate in urban design

Walkable scores for selected three east Texas counties: physical activity and policy implications

What’s the Score? Walkable Environments and Subsidized Households

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