Neighborhood Connectivity, Walkability and Safety in Tucson, AZ

Abstract

This research compares two neighborhoods in Tucson, with similar amenities, and age cohorts but one has adequate sidewalk infrastructure while the other does not. The neighborhoods included are Hedrick Acres and West University. Satellite imagery was used to measure the pathways and categorize them into paved, unpaved and nonexistent. A t-test two-sample assuming unequal variances with the interpretation of a two-tail p-value was done to see if there was a statistically significantly difference between the categories of pathways. It was found that two of the pathway categories had statistically significant findings, unpaved (p-value: 0.0049) and not present (p-value: 0.0181). In addition, this research looks at the effects of inadequate infrastructure through social capital, connectivity, and safety.