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Exploring the effects of the built environment on activity duration among older adults: A case study of metro systems in Dalian, China

Author

Listed:
  • Jia, Qinglin
  • Jia, Peng
  • Luan, Jianlin
  • Yuan, Shuang
  • Wang, Sini
  • Zou, Yichu

Abstract

Understanding the relationship between the built environment and metro travel among older adults is essential for developing age-friendly urban transportation systems. While previous studies primarily focus on ridership, the effects of the built environment on activity duration remain largely unexplored. This study represents the first attempt to explore the effects of the built environment on activity duration among older adults across different metro travel patterns. Using metro smart card data and built environment data from Dalian, China, the study applies latent class analysis (LCA), gradient boosting decision trees (GBDT), and SHapley Additive ExPlanations (SHAP) to identify different metro travel patterns and uncover the underlying environmental mechanisms, including nonlinear and interactive effects. The results show pronounced heterogeneity in metro travel patterns among older adults, as reflected in their daily cycles, time of day, metro line, travel time, and travel cost. Further analysis refines eight metro travel patterns based on short- and long-duration activities, revealing that built environment variables contribute differently to activity duration across these patterns. Interestingly, variables like population density, the number of retail and supply facilities, and the number of medical and health facilities exhibit inverted U-shaped or threshold-type nonlinear effects. Furthermore, interactive effects among built environment variables are predominantly negative, reflecting spatial redundancy and marginal diminishing in high-density metro catchment areas. These findings prompt a reconsideration of the current urban planning paradigm of “multi-functional intensive development”, highlighting the need to balance “abundance” with “appropriateness” and offering theoretical support for more targeted age-friendly transport interventions.

Suggested Citation

  • Jia, Qinglin & Jia, Peng & Luan, Jianlin & Yuan, Shuang & Wang, Sini & Zou, Yichu, 2026. "Exploring the effects of the built environment on activity duration among older adults: A case study of metro systems in Dalian, China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:175:y:2026:i:c:s0967070x25004354
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2025.103892
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