Estimating Natural Environmental Characteristics of Subsidized Households: A Case Study of Austin, Texas
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
2.1. Subsidized Housing Developments and Socioeconomic Environments
2.2. Benefits of Natural Environments
3. Data and Methodology
3.1. Study Area and Data Collection
3.2. Measures for Natural Environmental Characteristics
3.3. Statistical Analyses
4. Results and Discussion
4.1. Comparison T-Tests
4.1.1. Socioeconomic Characteristics
Variables | Non-LIHTC Neighborhoods | LIHTC Neighborhoods | Difference in Mean | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
N | Mean | S.D. | N | Mean | S.D. | ||
Household Income ($) | 452 | 52,991 | 27,558 | 42 | 33,797 | 14,683 | 19,194 *** |
Percentage Minority | 452 | 38.48 | 26.38 | 42 | 70.46 | 22.79 | −31.96 *** |
Percentage Poverty | 452 | 12.41 | 13.29 | 42 | 21.21 | 12.47 | −8.80 *** |
Percentage Unemployment | 452 | 4.09 | 3.99 | 42 | 6.51 | 4.15 | −2.42 *** |
Percentage Female-Headed Family | 438 | 20.63 | 17.25 | 42 | 33.75 | 16.63 | −13.11 *** |
Percentage Welfare Receipt | 452 | 1.66 | 2.72 | 42 | 3.21 | 3.54 | −1.80 *** |
Percentage Teenage School Dropout | 425 | 14.22 | 20.83 | 42 | 23.53 | 16.85 | −9.31 *** |
Variables | Non-Public Housing Neighborhoods | Public Housing Neighborhoods | Difference in Mean | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
N | Mean | S.D. | N | Mean | S.D. | ||
Household Income ($) | 480 | 52,019 | 27,290 | 14 | 28,707 | 10,355 | 23,312 *** |
Percentage Minority | 480 | 40.44 | 27.14 | 14 | 67.40 | 29.79 | −26.96 *** |
Percentage Poverty | 480 | 12.72 | 13.11 | 14 | 28.21 | 16.25 | −15.50 *** |
Percentage Unemployment | 480 | 4.17 | 3.89 | 14 | 8.87 | 6.57 | −4.70 *** |
Percentage Female-Headed Family | 480 | 21.05 | 16.82 | 14 | 46.28 | 24.57 | −25.23 *** |
Percentage Welfare Receipt | 480 | 1.66 | 2.59 | 14 | 6.45 | 5.69 | −4.79 *** |
Percentage Teenage School Dropout | 480 | 14.72 | 20.08 | 14 | 26.83 | 24.78 | −12.11 *** |
4.1.2. Natural Environmental Characteristics
Variables | Non-LIHTC Neighborhoods | LIHTC Neighborhoods | Difference in Mean | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
N | Mean | S.D. | N | Mean | S.D. | ||
Tree Canopy (%) | 452 | 34.31 | 14.98 | 42 | 26.66 | 9.81 | 7.65 ** |
Impervious Surface (%) | 452 | 30.06 | 16.23 | 42 | 33.47 | 15.82 | −3.42 |
Parks (%) | 452 | 7.46 | 13.39 | 42 | 8.23 | 12.48 | −0.76 |
Water Features (%) | 452 | 1.94 | 8.01 | 42 | 0.45 | 0.78 | 1.49 |
Surface Temperature (°C) | 452 | 32.09 | 2.09 | 42 | 32.91 | 0.94 | −0.81 ** |
NDVI (ranging from −1 to 1) | 452 | 0.24 | 0.09 | 42 | 0.19 | 0.06 | 0.05 *** |
Steep Slope (%) > 5% | 452 | 12.58 | 10.75 | 42 | 14.66 | 9.95 | −2.08 |
Steep Slope (%) > 8.33% | 452 | 6.84 | 8.51 | 42 | 7.04 | 6.38 | −0.20 |
Variables | Non-Public Housing Neighborhoods | Public Housing Neighborhoods | Difference in Mean | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
N | Mean | S.D. | N | Mean | S.D. | ||
Tree Canopy (%) | 480 | 33.81 | 14.85 | 14 | 28.58 | 10.38 | 5.23 |
Impervious Surface (%) | 480 | 30.16 | 16.21 | 14 | 36.83 | 15.28 | −6.67 |
Parks (%) | 480 | 7.48 | 13.20 | 14 | 9.01 | 16.93 | −1.53 |
Water Features (%) | 480 | 1.79 | 7.68 | 14 | 2.59 | 7.87 | −0.80 |
Surface Temperature (°C) | 480 | 32.15 | 2.04 | 14 | 32.66 | 1.42 | −0.51 |
NDVI (ranging from −1 to 1) | 480 | 0.24 | 0.09 | 14 | 0.20 | 0.08 | 0.04 * |
Steep Slope (%) > 5% | 480 | 12.81 | 10.75 | 14 | 10.88 | 8.48 | 1.93 |
Steep Slope (%) > 8.33% | 480 | 6.92 | 8.49 | 14 | 4.62 | 4.79 | 2.32 |
4.2. Binary Logistic Regressions
4.2.1. Natural Environmental Correlates of LIHTC and Public Housing Neighborhoods
Variables | LIHTC Neighborhoods | Public Housing Neighborhoods | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Odds Ratio | p > |z| | Odds Ratio | p > |z| | |
Percentage Minority | 1.040 *** | <0.000 | 1.031 *** | 0.033 |
Income ($1,000) | 0.962 ** | 0.048 | 0.953 | 0.141 |
Percentage Poverty | 0.976 | 0.188 | 1.021 | 0.383 |
Median Housing Value ($1,000) | 1.005 | 0.114 | 1.007 | 0.201 |
NDVI † | 0.902 *** | 0.005 | 1.070 | 0.389 |
Impervious Surface | 0.971 * | 0.092 | 1.038 | 0.337 |
Steep Slopes > 8.33% (%) | 1.045 ** | 0.025 | 0.982 | 0.560 |
Parks | 1.019 | 0.242 | 1.012 | 0.576 |
Water Features | 0.775 | 0.141 | 1.058 | 0.225 |
Number of Observations | 494 | 494 | ||
LR Chi | 71.36 | 23.31 | ||
Pro > Chi-Sq | <0.0001 | 0.0055 | ||
Pseudo R2 | 0.2483 | 0.1830 |
4.2.2. Socioeconomic Correlates of LIHTC and Public Housing Neighborhoods
5. Conclusions
Acknowledgments
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
References and Notes
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Kim, Y.-J.; Woo, A. Estimating Natural Environmental Characteristics of Subsidized Households: A Case Study of Austin, Texas. Sustainability 2015, 7, 13433-13453. https://doi.org/10.3390/su71013433
Kim Y-J, Woo A. Estimating Natural Environmental Characteristics of Subsidized Households: A Case Study of Austin, Texas. Sustainability. 2015; 7(10):13433-13453. https://doi.org/10.3390/su71013433
Chicago/Turabian StyleKim, Young-Jae, and Ayoung Woo. 2015. "Estimating Natural Environmental Characteristics of Subsidized Households: A Case Study of Austin, Texas" Sustainability 7, no. 10: 13433-13453. https://doi.org/10.3390/su71013433