Investigating utility-based walking accessibility: New versus old development areas in Hong Kong

Walking accessibility is a fundamental component of urban design, which plays a significant role in creating livable, sustainable and inclusive cities. This study aims to investigate potential disparities in walking accessibility between new and old development areas. To achieve this, a utility-based walking accessibility measure is developed, incorporating the impacts of street-level walking attributes, the spatial distribution of points of interest (POIs), pedestrians' heterogeneous behavioral preferences and population distribution. Walking accessibility disparity or inequity among different age groups is further quantified using Gini coefficients and Theil indices. The comparative case study focuses on Kwun Tong, an old urban area, and Kai Tak, a new development area in Hong Kong. The results show that the new development area exhibits lower walking accessibility across all age groups and a higher level of inequity for young and middle-aged pedestrians compared to the old development area, while the inequity difference for the elderly is not significant. This disparity can be attributed to the concentration of POIs within a few business clusters and insufficient pedestrian facilities. Additionally, the elderly have the worst walking accessibility among the three age groups. The findings highlight the necessity to incorporate pedestrians’ diverse preferences in planning new development areas to create a pedestrian-friendly environment for all.