IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v14y2025i9p1867-d1748441.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Analysis of the Correlation Between the Accessibility of Built Environment Elements and Residents’ Self-Rated Health in New Rural Communities

Author

Listed:
  • Xiu Yang

    (School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China)

  • Chao Liu

    (School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China)

  • Wei Liu

    (School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China)

  • Ximin Hu

    (School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China)

  • Kehao Li

    (School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China)

Abstract

In the contexts of rapid urbanization and the Healthy China Strategy, understanding how the built environment affects residents’ health has become a pressing issue for the development of new rural communities. This study aims to investigate the associations between facility accessibility and residents’ health, and to provide evidence for health-oriented rural planning. Taking Pujiang County in Chengdu as the case study, we measured the accessibility of nine categories of facilities using GIS-based network analysis and evaluated residents’ health through the Self-Rated Health Measurement Scale (SRHMS). Gradient Boosting Decision Trees (GBDT) combined with SHAP interpretation were employed to examine and explain the influence of accessibility factors on health outcomes. The results indicate that the accessibility of road entrances, public toilets, garbage transfer points, schools, and community service centers is negatively associated with residents’ health, with variations across physical, mental, and social health dimensions. Moreover, social health is insufficiently explained by physical accessibility alone, implying the additional importance of social and cultural conditions. These findings offer practical guidance for optimizing facility layout and spatial design in new rural communities and provide an empirical basis for promoting health-oriented rural planning in China and similar contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiu Yang & Chao Liu & Wei Liu & Ximin Hu & Kehao Li, 2025. "Analysis of the Correlation Between the Accessibility of Built Environment Elements and Residents’ Self-Rated Health in New Rural Communities," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-24, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:9:p:1867-:d:1748441
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/9/1867/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/9/1867/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. N. Keating, 2022. "A research framework for the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030)," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 775-787, September.
    2. Lingyi Xu & Huiran Han & Chengfeng Yang & Qingfang Liu, 2023. "The Influence Mechanism of the Community Subjectively Built Environment on the Physical and Mental Health of Older Adults," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-20, September.
    3. Layes, Audrey & Asada, Yukiko & Kephart, George, 2012. "Whiners and deniers – What does self-rated health measure?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(1), pages 1-9.
    4. Wakefield, Sarah E.L. & Poland, Blake, 2005. "Family, friend or foe? Critical reflections on the relevance and role of social capital in health promotion and community development," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(12), pages 2819-2832, June.
    5. Yunan Lin & Hongpeng Fu & Qikang Zhong & Zitu Zuo & Sihong Chen & Ziqiang He & Hao Zhang, 2024. "The Influencing Mechanism of the Communities’ Built Environment on Residents’ Subjective Well-Being: A Case Study of Beijing," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-21, June.
    6. Marta Aranha Conceição & Mayara Moraes Monteiro & Dena Kasraian & Pauline van den Berg & Sonja Haustein & Inês Alves & Carlos Lima Azevedo & Bruno Miranda, 2023. "The effect of transport infrastructure, congestion and reliability on mental wellbeing: a systematic review of empirical studies," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(2), pages 264-302, March.
    7. Carrasco, Maria A. & Bilal, Usama, 2016. "A sign of the times: To have or to be? Social capital or social cohesion?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 127-131.
    8. Xiaoxin Zhang & Martin Brandt & Xiaowei Tong & Philippe Ciais & Yuemin Yue & Xiangming Xiao & Wenmin Zhang & Kelin Wang & Rasmus Fensholt, 2022. "A large but transient carbon sink from urbanization and rural depopulation in China," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 5(4), pages 321-328, April.
    9. Zang, Yuzhu & Liu, Yansui & Yang, Yuanyuan & Woods, Michael & Fois, Francesca, 2020. "Rural decline or restructuring? Implications for sustainability transitions in rural China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    10. Dannenberg, A.L. & Jackson, R.J. & Frumkin, H. & Schieber, R.A. & Pratt, M. & Kochtitzky, C. & Tilson, H.H., 2003. "The Impact of Community Design and Land-Use Choices on Public Health: A Scientific Research Agenda," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 93(9), pages 1500-1508.
    11. repec:cdl:uctcwp:qt5b76c5kg is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Yun Han & Chunpeng Qin & Longzhu Xiao & Yu Ye, 2024. "The nonlinear relationships between built environment features and urban street vitality: A data-driven exploration," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 51(1), pages 195-215, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cai, Angzu & Wang, Leyi & Zhang, Yuhao & Wu, Haoran & Zhang, Huai & Guo, Ru & Wu, Jiang, 2025. "Uncovering the multiple socio-economic driving factors of carbon emissions in nine urban agglomerations of China based on machine learning," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 319(C).
    2. Quitterie Roquebert & Jonathan Sicsic & Thomas Rapp, 2021. "Health measures and long-term care use in the European frail population," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 22(3), pages 405-423, April.
    3. Ying Lu & Walter Timo de Vries, 2023. "Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Rural Development in China over the Past 40 Years," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-20, May.
    4. Sirven, Nicolas, 2006. "Endogenous social capital and self-rated health: Cross-sectional data from rural areas of Madagascar," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(6), pages 1489-1502, September.
    5. Vonneilich, Nico & Lüdecke, Daniel & von dem Knesebeck, Olaf, 2020. "Educational inequalities in self-rated health and social relationships – analyses based on the European Social Survey 2002-2016," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 267(C).
    6. Cheng, Zhen & Ding, Chante Jian & Zhao, Kunqian, 2025. "Energy use rights trading and carbon emissions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 315(C).
    7. Katherine King, 2013. "Jane Jacobs and ‘The Need for Aged Buildings’: Neighbourhood Historical Development Pace and Community Social Relations," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 50(12), pages 2407-2424, September.
    8. Pronyk, Paul M. & Harpham, Trudy & Morison, Linda A. & Hargreaves, James R. & Kim, Julia C. & Phetla, Godfrey & Watts, Charlotte H. & Porter, John D., 2008. "Is social capital associated with HIV risk in rural South Africa?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(9), pages 1999-2010, May.
    9. Hughes, Amanda & Kumari, Meena, 2019. "Testosterone, risk, and socioeconomic position in British men: Exploring causal directionality," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 129-140.
    10. Lång, Elisabeth & Nystedt, Paul, 2018. "Blowing up money? The earnings penalty of smoking in the 1970s and the 21st century," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 39-52.
    11. Guang Han & Ping Zhai & Liqun Zhu & Kongqing Li, 2023. "Economic Incentives, Reputation Incentives, and Rural Residents’ Participation in Household Waste Classification: Evidence from Jiangsu, China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-15, October.
    12. Xiuling Ding & Qian Lu & Lipeng Li & Apurbo Sarkar & Hua Li, 2023. "Does Labor Transfer Improve Farmers’ Willingness to Withdraw from Farming?—A Bivariate Probit Modeling Approach," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-27, August.
    13. Kurt Beil & Douglas Hanes, 2013. "The Influence of Urban Natural and Built Environments on Physiological and Psychological Measures of Stress— A Pilot Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-18, March.
    14. Jingyuan Zhao & Kai Xin & Tianhui Wang & Weijun Gao & Yuang Guo & Tao Zhang & Jianxin Zhang, 2025. "Supporting sustainable rural development through numerical simulation: a case study in Northwest China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 27(5), pages 10995-11022, May.
    15. Ouyang, Xi & Zhang, Tong, 2021. "Heterogeneous Effects of Trust on pro-environmental behavior of Rural Residents," 2021 ASAE 10th International Conference (Virtual), January 11-13, Beijing, China 329395, Asian Society of Agricultural Economists (ASAE).
    16. Liwei Zhao & Qiaobing Yue & Junhong Liang & Shiyi Cheng, 2025. "Evaluation of Rural Livability Considering Social Interactions and Implications for Rural Revitalization: A Case Study of Ezhou City, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-20, April.
    17. Yanjun Wang & Yanjun Chen & Wang Zhang & I-Chen Chao & Hang Li, 2024. "The Impact of Rural Tourism on Rural Culture Evidence from China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-19, November.
    18. Chao Yue & Mengyang Xu & Philippe Ciais & Shu Tao & Huizhong Shen & Jinfeng Chang & Wei Li & Lei Deng & Junhao He & Yi Leng & Yu Li & Jiaming Wang & Can Xu & Han Zhang & Pengyi Zhang & Liankai Zhang &, 2024. "Contributions of ecological restoration policies to China’s land carbon balance," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.
    19. Lingbo Liu & Yuni Zhong & Siya Ao & Hao Wu, 2019. "Exploring the Relevance of Green Space and Epidemic Diseases Based on Panel Data in China from 2007 to 2016," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-21, July.
    20. Yang Liu & Jiajun Qiao & Jie Xiao & Dong Han & Tao Pan, 2022. "Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Rural Revitalization and an Improvement Path: A Typical Old Revolutionary Cultural Area as an Example," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-24, October.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:9:p:1867-:d:1748441. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.