Unraveling the Dynamic Relationship between Neighborhood Deprivation and Walkability over Time: A Machine Learning Approach

Qian Wang, Guie Li and Min Weng ()
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Qian Wang: School of Sports Economics and Management, Hubei University of Economics, Wuhan 430205, China
Guie Li: School of Public Policy & Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Min Weng: School of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-19

Abstract: Creating a walkable environment is an essential step toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Nevertheless, not all people can enjoy a walkable environment, and neighborhoods with different socioeconomic status are found to vary greatly with walkability. Former studies have typically unraveled the relationship between neighborhood deprivation and walkability from a temporally static perspective and the produced estimations to a point-in-time snapshot were believed to incorporate great uncertainties. The ways in which neighborhood walkability changes over time in association with deprivation remain unclear. Using the case of the Hangzhou metropolitan area, we first measured the neighborhood walkability from 2016 to 2018 by calculating a set of revised walk scores. Further, we applied a machine learning algorithm, the kernel-based regularized least squares regression in particular, to unravel how neighborhood walkability changes in relation to deprivation over time. The results not only capture the nonlinearity in the relationship between neighborhood deprivation and walkability over time, but also highlight the marginal effects of each neighborhood deprivation indicator. Additionally, comparisons of the outputs between the machine learning algorithm and OLS regression illustrated that the machine learning approach did tell a different story and should contribute to remedying the contradictory conclusions in earlier studies. This paper is believed to renew the understanding of social inequalities in walkability by bringing the significance of temporal dynamics and structural interdependences to the fore.

Keywords: walkability; walk score; neighborhood deprivation; socioeconomic status; built environment; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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