Spatial Differences in the Effect of Communities’ Built Environment on Residents’ Health: A Case Study in Wuhan, China

Man Yuan, Haolan Pan, Zhuoran Shan and Da Feng
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Man Yuan: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Haolan Pan: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Zhuoran Shan: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Da Feng: College of Pharmacy, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-18

Abstract: After 40 years of reform and opening-up policies, urbanization in China has significantly improved residents’ living standards; however, simultaneously, it has caused a series of health problems among Chinese citizens. Communities’ built environment is closely related to their residents’ health. However, few studies have examined the spatial differences in the health effects of community-built environments. Based on a 2013 health survey of residents in 20 communities in Wuhan, this study uses multilevel linear models to explore the effects of the built environment on residents’ health, analyzing the differences in its health-effect within different types of communities. The results showed that there were significant differences in the self-rated health status of residents in different communities, with those in high-end communities reporting a higher self-rated health status. The effect of the built environment on the health of residents in different communities was found to be inconsistent. For instance, the effect of the built environment on low-end community residents was very significant, but it was not obvious for residents in high-end communities. There are significant community-specific differences in the health- effect of the built environment: in high-end communities, residents’ health status was mainly restricted by travel accessibility, while in low-end communities, residents’ health status was mainly restricted by the accessibility of health facilities. Therefore, this paper proposes a built-environment optimization strategy for different types of communities to provide valuable insights for healthy community planning from a policy perspective.

Keywords: healthy city; built environment; community; spatial differences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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