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Do Neighborhood Walkability, Transit, and Parks Relate to Residents’ Life Satisfaction?

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  • Deirdre Pfeiffer
  • Meagan M. Ehlenz
  • Riley Andrade
  • Scott Cloutier
  • Kelli L. Larson

Abstract

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Planners lack clarity about how they can promote the subjective wellbeing (SWB) of the communities they serve. In this research we use descriptive and econometric methods to explore the interconnections between three aspects of the objective and perceived neighborhood built environment (NBE)—walkability, transit, and parks—and one aspect of SWB—life satisfaction—drawing on a survey of 496 people in the Phoenix (AZ) region. Respondents who were more satisfied with the quantity of neighborhood parks and lived in objectively more walkable neighborhoods expressed higher life satisfaction. Park satisfaction is linked to other life satisfaction–promoting perceptions, including greater neighborhood social connection, nature engagement, exercise opportunities, and lower neighborhood disorder. However, what shapes links between life satisfaction and walkability is less clear. Notably, objective and perceived parks access and walkability were not strongly linked and an understudied factor—perceiving neighborhood geography narrowly—was linked to lower life satisfaction. Planners should be cautious in applying these findings because they do not derive from causal methods or fully account for the propensity of more satisfied people to feel more positively about their environments or live in neighborhoods with particular qualities. Future work should also consider how our findings apply to life satisfaction across diverse places and time.Takeaway for practice: Life satisfaction is associated with neighborhood planning. Planning strategies that may increase residents’ opportunities for higher life satisfaction include a) engaging with communities to better understand and plan for parks that meet residents’ needs and b) enhancing neighborhood walkability. Planners should note that objective measures of the NBE, like walkability and parks, do not necessarily correspond to residents’ perceptions of these qualities. Further investigation into the causal links between the NBE and life satisfaction, including the complex roles that transit accessibility and resident perceptions of neighborhood geography play, is warranted.

Suggested Citation

  • Deirdre Pfeiffer & Meagan M. Ehlenz & Riley Andrade & Scott Cloutier & Kelli L. Larson, 2020. "Do Neighborhood Walkability, Transit, and Parks Relate to Residents’ Life Satisfaction?," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 86(2), pages 171-187, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:rjpaxx:v:86:y:2020:i:2:p:171-187
    DOI: 10.1080/01944363.2020.1715824
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Navarrete-Hernandez, Pablo & Christopher Zegras, P., 2023. "Mind the perception gap: The impact of bus rapid transit infrastructure on travelers’ perceptions of affective subjective well-being," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    2. Faysal Kabir Shuvo & Soumya Mazumdar & S. M. Labib, 2021. "Walkability and Greenness Do Not Walk Together: Investigating Associations between Greenness and Walkability in a Large Metropolitan City Context," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-15, April.
    3. Wang, Xize & Liu, Tao, 2022. "The Roads One Must Walk Down: Commute and Depression for Beijing’s Residents," SocArXiv dj8av, Center for Open Science.
    4. Sun, Bindong & Liu, Jiahang & Yin, Chun & Cao, Jason, 2022. "Residential and workplace neighborhood environments and life satisfaction: Exploring chain-mediation effects of activity and place satisfaction," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    5. Marwan Elmubarak & Naeema AlHosani & Mohamed Yagoub & Amar Khamis, 2023. "The Effects of Objective and Perceived Neighborhood Amenities on Youths’ Wellbeing: The Case of the City of Al Ain, UAE," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-18, February.
    6. Majid Ramezani Mehrian & Ayoub Manouchehri Miandoab & Asghar Abedini & Farshid Aram, 2022. "The Impact of Inefficient Urban Growth on Spatial Inequality of Urban Green Resources (Case Study: Urmia City)," Resources, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-9, July.
    7. Xize Wang & Tao Liu, 2022. "The Roads One Must Walk Down: Commute and Depression for Beijing's Residents," Papers 2207.07990, arXiv.org.
    8. Zhenshan Yang, 2023. "Human capital space: a spatial perspective of the dynamics of people and economic relationships," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-14, December.
    9. Mayke van Dinter & Mieke Kools & Gamze Dane & Minou Weijs-Perrée & Kynthia Chamilothori & Eveline van Leeuwen & Aloys Borgers & Pauline van den Berg, 2022. "Urban Green Parks for Long-Term Subjective Well-Being: Empirical Relationships between Personal Characteristics, Park Characteristics, Park Use, Sense of Place, and Satisfaction with Life in The Nethe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-19, April.
    10. Karacaoğlu Sıla, 2024. "Searching for Life Satisfaction in Nature through Tourism: An Exploratory Research on Hikers," European Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation, Sciendo, vol. 14(1), pages 140-152.
    11. Jeffrey Wilson & Xiao Xiao, 2023. "The Economic Value of Health Benefits Associated with Urban Park Investment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-13, March.

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