Abstract
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.
Highlights
During the 2000s, the movement toward walkable neighborhoods was formed by planners and researchers in order to achieve sustainability goals [1]
By analyzing the spatial patterns of walking-related built environmental characteristics and Street Smart Walk Scores at the block group level, we examine whether both Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and public housing (PH) households are located in walkable environments
LIHTC and PH developments have been allocated to offset the shortage of affordable housing units, it is unclear whether the place-based subsidized households are located in walkable neighborhoods and whether the subsidized households living in Austin can take advantage of walkable neighborhood amenities
Summary
During the 2000s, the movement toward walkable neighborhoods was formed by planners and researchers in order to achieve sustainability goals [1]. Various place-based subsidized housing programs have achieved some success in ensuring enough affordable housing and decent homes [14], the development efforts of those programs have tended to be concentrated in socioeconomically distressed neighborhoods where access to various socioeconomic opportunities are limited [12,13,14,15] This induced doubt about the efficiency of subsidized housing programs, especially in terms of the locational patterns of subsidized households. If there are clear discrepancies between the spatial location of place-based subsidized households and walkable neighborhoods, it might cast doubt on the validity of subsidized housing programs, especially in terms of providing suitable living environments to support public health benefits for subsidized households. By analyzing the spatial patterns of walking-related built environmental characteristics and Street Smart Walk Scores at the block group level, we examine whether both LIHTC and PH households are located in walkable environments
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