Association between subway and life satisfaction: Evidence from Xi’an, China

Authors

Jiangbin Yin
Jason (Xinyu) Cao
Xiaoyan Huang

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2021

Subject Area

land use - impacts, land use - planning, mode - subway/metro, place - asia, place - urban

Keywords

Life satisfaction, subway

Abstract

Policymakers often claim that rail transit helps enhance residents’ life satisfaction. However, efforts to examine its effects are limited, particularly in developing countries. Based on a case–control design in Xi’an, a developing city in China, this study employs the structural equation modeling approach to explore the association between subway and life satisfaction. The results show that subway is positively associated with life satisfaction through its links with quality of transit service, walkability, accessibility, and travel satisfaction. These mechanisms underlying the association between subway and life satisfaction suggest that station area planning and design need to be coordinated with subway deployment to maximize well-being benefits of subway. Furthermore, this study suggests that rail transit is a more impactful instrument for well-being enhancement in developing countries than in developed countries.

Rights

Permission to publish the abstract has been given by Elsevier, copyright remains with them.

Comments

Transportation Research Part D Home Page:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13619209

Recommended Citation

Yin, J., Cao, X.J., & Huang, X. (2021). Association between subway and life satisfaction: Evidence from Xi'an, China. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, Vol. 96, 102869.