Variation in the Built Form of Neighborhoods of Different Socio-Economic Groups:

Abstract

Unequal distribution of physical activity resources for the disadvantaged has become a major topic of discussion in today’s world. The resources include parks, urban greenery, and private facilities for recreation to name a few. Although morphological indicators such as street connectivity, block size, and block length are important for walking, limited literature explains how these built forms vary for neighborhoods of different socio-economic groups. The study can be important in Indian conditions since walking is a necessity for work as well as for leisure for a certain group of people who cannot afford to buy motorized vehicles. Assessing spatial inequality for them can contribute to recommendations for sustainable planning. This study compares four neighborhoods of different property values in Bhubaneswar, India to examine the inequality in the built-form distribution. India is specially chosen for this study because standard rules for subdivisions are almost missing there. Seven built-form indicators are compared for the four neighborhoods. The analysis shows that a variation in built form does exist between neighborhoods of different socio-economic groups. Longer blocks, higher block density, and higher plot density are observed for neighborhood of lower socio-economic status. However, neighborhood predominated by informal housing is compact and found to have the best walkability conditions.