IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i18p8281-d1749876.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Influence of the Built Environment on Elder Social Capital and Its Structure: An Empirical Study Based on Three Characteristic Communities in High-Density Cities of China

Author

Listed:
  • Yuan Gao

    (School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China)

  • Jusheng Song

    (School of Architecture, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China)

  • Chong Cui

    (Shenzhen Center for Planning and Land Development Research, Shenzhen 518040, China)

  • Yiming Li

    (School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China)

Abstract

In this study, we utilized survey data from three Shenzhen communities to investigate how the built community environment influences elderly physical activity and social capital in China’s high-density urban settings. Based on this, we analyzed how the spatial characteristics of the built environment affect the formation and structure of social capital. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to assess the influencing factors and pathways of the built environment on social capital, with physical activity being a mediating factor. The results show that the built environment significantly affects physical activity, which in turn promotes social capital. Key attributes such as the green space ratio, building density, land-use mixture, and street density positively influence both physical activity and social capital. Additionally, the distribution of the surrounding environment and activity space within the community will influence the structural features of social capital by affecting the structure of social networks. Consequently, communities with different spatial layout features will develop social capital with distinct structures. This study also highlights the importance of community design in fostering social interactions and trust among the elderly. These findings offer valuable guidance for urban design and policy planning to support active aging and social inclusion in rapidly urbanizing societies.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuan Gao & Jusheng Song & Chong Cui & Yiming Li, 2025. "Influence of the Built Environment on Elder Social Capital and Its Structure: An Empirical Study Based on Three Characteristic Communities in High-Density Cities of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-26, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:18:p:8281-:d:1749876
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/18/8281/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/18/8281/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Due, Pernille & Holstein, Bjørn & Lund, Rikke & Modvig, Jens & Avlund, Kirsten, 1999. "Social relations: network, support and relational strain," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 48(5), pages 661-673, March.
    2. Stephen Knack & Philip Keefer, 1997. "Does Social Capital Have an Economic Payoff? A Cross-Country Investigation," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 112(4), pages 1251-1288.
    3. Yuan Gao & Kun Liu & Peiling Zhou & Hongkun Xie, 2021. "The Effects of Residential Built Environment on Supporting Physical Activity Diversity in High-Density Cities: A Case Study in Shenzhen, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-16, June.
    4. Helo Oidjarv, 2018. "The Tale of Two Communities: Residents’ Perceptions of the Built Environment and Neighborhood Social Capital," SAGE Open, , vol. 8(2), pages 21582440187, April.
    5. Powell, K.E. & Martin, L.M. & Chowdhury, P.P., 2003. "Places to Walk: Convenience and Regular Physical Activity," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 93(9), pages 1519-1521.
    6. Cao, Xinyu (Jason) & Mokhtarian, Patricia L. & Handy, Susan L., 2009. "The relationship between the built environment and nonwork travel: A case study of Northern California," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 43(5), pages 548-559, June.
    7. Peng Zang & Fei Xian & Hualong Qiu & Shifa Ma & Hongxu Guo & Mengrui Wang & Linchuan Yang, 2022. "Differences in the Correlation between the Built Environment and Walking, Moderate, and Vigorous Physical Activity among the Elderly in Low- and High-Income Areas," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-15, February.
    8. Jianxi Feng, 2016. "The Built Environment and Active Travel: Evidence from Nanjing, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-14, March.
    9. Yi Peng & Xu Cui & Bingjie Yu & Runze Liu & Hong Li, 2025. "How 2D and 3D Built Environment Impact Urban Vitality: Evidence from Overhead-Level to Eye-Level Urban Form Metrics," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-23, May.
    10. Yiyu Wang & Bert Steenbergen & Erwin van der Krabben & Henk-Jan Kooij & Kevin Raaphorst & Remco Hoekman, 2023. "The Impact of the Built Environment and Social Environment on Physical Activity: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(12), pages 1-36, June.
    11. De Silva, Mary J. & Huttly, Sharon R. & Harpham, Trudy & Kenward, Michael G., 2007. "Social capital and mental health: A comparative analysis of four low income countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 5-20, January.
    12. Abigail Mitchell & Kelli L. Larson & Deirdre Pfeiffer & Jose-Benito Rosales Chavez, 2024. "Planning for Urban Sustainability through Residents’ Wellbeing: The Effects of Nature Interactions, Social Capital, and Socio-Demographic Factors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-18, May.
    13. Edward L. Glaeser & Joshua D. Gottlieb, 2006. "Urban Resurgence and the Consumer City," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 43(8), pages 1275-1299, July.
    14. Handy, Susan L & Mokhtarian, Patricia L. & Cao, Xinyu, 2008. "The Causal Influence of Neighborhood Design on Physical Activity Within the Neighborhood: Evidence from Northern California," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt3vp1d82d, University of California Transportation Center.
    15. Chisun Yoo & Sugie Lee, 2016. "Neighborhood Built Environments Affecting Social Capital and Social Sustainability in Seoul, Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-22, December.
    16. De Silva, Mary J & Harpham, Trudy & Tuan, Tran & Bartolini, Rosario & Penny, Mary E & Huttly, Sharon R, 2006. "Psychometric and cognitive validation of a social capital measurement tool in Peru and Vietnam," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(4), pages 941-953, February.
    17. S. V. Subramanian & Laura Kubzansky & Lisa Berkman & Martha Fay & Ichiro Kawachi, 2006. "Neighborhood Effects on the Self-Rated Health of Elders: Uncovering the Relative Importance of Structural and Service-Related Neighborhood Environments," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 61(3), pages 153-160.
    18. Leyden, K.M., 2003. "Social Capital and the Built Environment: The Importance of Walkable Neighborhoods," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 93(9), pages 1546-1551.
    19. Rebaz Khoshnaw, 2023. "Evaluating Mixed Land Use and Connectivity: A Case Study of Five Neighborhoods in Erbil City, Iraq," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-18, September.
    20. Handy, Susan & Cao, Xinyu & Mokhtarian, Patricia L., 2005. "Correlation or causality between the built environment and travel behavior? Evidence from Northern California," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt5b76c5kg, University of California Transportation Center.
    21. Kemel Toktomushev, 2023. "Civil society, social capital and development in Central Asia," Central Asian Survey, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(4), pages 710-725, October.
    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. Wang, Donggen & Lin, Tao, 2013. "Built environments, social environments, and activity-travel behavior: a case study of Hong Kong," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 286-295.
    2. Hilber, Christian A.L., 2010. "New housing supply and the dilution of social capital," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(3), pages 419-437, May.
    3. Sheng, Lu & Wu, Xiao & He, Yan, 2023. "Impact of residential relocation on activity-travel behaviors between household couples: A case study of Kunming, China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    4. Agampodi, Thilini Chanchala & Agampodi, Suneth Buddhika & Glozier, Nicholas & Siribaddana, Sisira, 2015. "Measurement of social capital in relation to health in low and middle income countries (LMIC): A systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 95-104.
    5. 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.
    6. Lin, Tao & Wang, Donggen & Guan, Xiaodong, 2017. "The built environment, travel attitude, and travel behavior: Residential self-selection or residential determination?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 111-122.
    7. Faizeh Hatami & Jean-Claude Thill, 2022. "Spatiotemporal Evaluation of the Built Environment’s Impact on Commuting Duration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-19, June.
    8. Enayat Mirzaei & Dominique Mignot, 2021. "An Empirical Analysis of Mode Choice Decision for Utilitarian and Hedonic Trips: Evidence from Iran," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-23, June.
    9. Jahanshahi, Kaveh & Jin, Ying & Williams, Ian, 2015. "Direct and indirect influences on employed adults’ travel in the UK: New insights from the National Travel Survey data 2002–2010," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 288-306.
    10. Fiorillo, Damiano & Sabatini, Fabio, 2015. "Structural social capital and health in Italy," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 17(C), pages 129-142.
    11. Susilo, Yusak O. & Waygood, E. Owen D., 2012. "A long term analysis of the mechanisms underlying children’s activity-travel engagements in the Osaka metropolitan area," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 41-50.
    12. Bojing Liao & Yifan Xu & Xiang Li & Ji Li, 2022. "Association between Campus Walkability and Affective Walking Experience, and the Mediating Role of Walking Attitude," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-13, November.
    13. Yuan Gao & Kun Liu & Peiling Zhou & Hongkun Xie, 2021. "The Effects of Residential Built Environment on Supporting Physical Activity Diversity in High-Density Cities: A Case Study in Shenzhen, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-16, June.
    14. Ettema, Dick & Nieuwenhuis, Roy, 2017. "Residential self-selection and travel behaviour: What are the effects of attitudes, reasons for location choice and the built environment?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 146-155.
    15. Delmelle, Elizabeth C. & Haslauer, Eva & Prinz, Thomas, 2013. "Social satisfaction, commuting and neighborhoods," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 110-116.
    16. Schmid, Basil & Becker, Felix & Axhausen, Kay W. & Widmer, Paul & Stein, Petra, 2023. "A simultaneous model of residential location, mobility tool ownership and mode choice using latent variables," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    17. Spears, Steven & Houston, Douglas & Boarnet, Marlon G., 2013. "Illuminating the unseen in transit use: A framework for examining the effect of attitudes and perceptions on travel behavior," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 40-53.
    18. Yang Zhou & Hui Ji & Songtian Zhang & Caiyun Qian & Zixiong Wei, 2019. "Empirical Study on the Boundary Space Form of Residential Blocks Oriented Toward Low-Carbon Travel," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-31, May.
    19. Wang, Donggen & Chai, Yanwei & Li, Fei, 2011. "Built environment diversities and activity–travel behaviour variations in Beijing, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(6), pages 1173-1186.
    20. M. Reza Shirazi & Ramin Keivani & Sue Brownill & Georgia Butina Watson, 2022. "Promoting Social Sustainability of Urban Neighbourhoods: The Case of Bethnal Green, London," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(3), pages 441-465, May.

    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:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:18:p:8281-:d:1749876. 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.