Examining the associations between the built environment and older adults’ walking behavior: Spatial and distributional heterogeneity

Abstract

Population aging has emerged as a major global challenge, and China is experiencing this demographic shift. Walking plays a vital role in maintaining older adults’ health and well-being. While the relationships between the built environment and older adults’ walking behavior have been widely examined, how these relationships vary across different spatial contexts and walking-time levels remain insufficiently explored. This study explores the heterogeneous relationships between community built environment factors and older adults’ walking behavior in Chengdu, China, focusing on differences across geographic locations (spatial heterogeneity) and walking-time quantiles (distributional heterogeneity) based on the 2016 Chengdu Comprehensive Travel Survey, street view imagery, and remote sensing data. Geographically weighted regression and quantile regression models are applied to capture spatial and distributional heterogeneity. The results indicate that: (1) the sidewalk index, population density, and the number of medical facilities are positively associated with older adults’ walking time; (2) the relationship between community built environment factors and walking time varies across locations; and (3) the positive effects of population density and the sidewalk index increase with walking-time quantiles. These findings highlight the importance of accounting for both spatial and distributional heterogeneity when proposing urban planning strategies to encourage walking among older adults. The study provides practical guidance for creating age-friendly, walkable environments.