Associations between the Sense of Accessibility and Objective Walkability Index

Abstract

It is essential to examine individuals’ overall quality of life using a generic index of perceived accessibility to a set of destinations in their everyday lives. This study thus investigated the correlation between the Sense of Accessibility (SA; that is, residents’ overall feelings of [in]convenience in their everyday lives) without a vehicle, objective Walkability Index (WI), and neighborhood environment and personal factors, considering current trends in urban policy to reduce people’s reliance on the automobile. The estimated results of ordinary regression models demonstrated that WI scores were almost consistently and positively correlated with SA. Among the WI components, population density was strongly associated with SA. Gender, age, and household structure were differently associated with SA depending on the frequency of car usage. These results support current urban policy trends to some extent, while they also suggest that some individuals need assistance to adapt to new lifestyles without cars.