Walkable environment and community well-being: a case from the city of Kwun Tong

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the relationship between the walkable environment and community well-being of the older people in Kwun Tong, a district in Hong Kong.

Design/methodology/approach

Face-to-face survey interviews were conducted to collect data about perceived factors and community well-being of people aged 55 or above (N = 257, M = 71.78). Geographic information system was used to obtain geographic data to assess objective factors.

Findings

The results showed that perceived factors were more critical in explaining community well-being than objective factors.

Originality/value

This is one of the few research studies to study walkable environment and community well-being in both objective and subjective ways. The findings of this study could help policymakers and urban planners to move beyond the objective standard to better address the subjective environmental needs of older people in designing a walkable environment. The research findings also have implications for other Asian communities with similar environments and cultural backgrounds.

Citation

Yu, A. (2021), "Walkable environment and community well-being: a case from the city of Kwun Tong", Open House International, Vol. 46 No. 2, pp. 162-172. https://doi.org/10.1108/OHI-07-2020-0099