Journal article
Validation of Walk Scores and Transit Scores for estimating neighborhood walkability and transit availability: a small-area analysis
GeoJournal, v 78(2), pp 407-416
01 Apr 2013
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
We investigated the validity of Walk Scores and Transit Scores from the Walk Score website using several objective geographic information systems (GIS) measures of neighborhood walkabiltiy and transit availability based on 400- and 800-m street network buffers. Address data come from the 2008 Boston Youth Survey Geospatial Dataset, a school-based sample of public high school students in Boston, MA with complete residential address information (n = 1,292). GIS data were used to create multiple objective measures of neighborhood walkability and transit availability. We also obtained Walk Scores and Transit Scores. We calculated Spearman correlations of Walk Scores and Transit Scores with the GIS neighborhood walkability/transit availability measures as well as Spearman correlations accounting for spatial autocorrelation. Several significant correlations were observed between Walk Score and 400-m buffer GIS measures of neighborhood walkability; all significant correlations were found for the 800-m buffer. All correlations between Transit Scores and GIS measures of neighborhood transit availability were also significant (all p < 0.0001). However, the magnitude of correlations varied by the GIS measure and neighborhood definition. Relative to the 400-m buffer, correlations for the 800-m buffer were higher. This study suggests that Walk Score is a good, convenient tool tomeasure certain aspects of neighborhood walkability and transit availability (such as density of retail destinations, density of recreational open space, intersection density, residential density and density of subway stops). However, Walk Score works best at larger spatial scales.
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Details
- Title
- Validation of Walk Scores and Transit Scores for estimating neighborhood walkability and transit availability: a small-area analysis
- Creators
- Dustin Duncan - Harvard UniversityJared Aldstadt - University at Buffalo, State University of New YorkJohn Whalen - University at Buffalo, State University of New YorkSteven Melly - Harvard University
- Publication Details
- GeoJournal, v 78(2), pp 407-416
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Number of pages
- 10
- Grant note
- Department of Geography at the University at Buffalo U49CE00740 / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; United States Department of Health & Human Services; Centers for Disease Control & Prevention - USA 67129 / Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Active Living Research Program Alonzo Smythe Yerby Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at Harvard School of Public Health
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Urban Health Collaborative
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000210530800014
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-84876022535
- Other Identifier
- 991021875341704721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Geography