Degree Not Listed / Department Not Listed / Huston Gibson / Recent studies have shown that walkability can have a positive impact on a community. Walkability has been associated with better public health (Jensen et al., 2017), lower carbon emissions (Morris, 2009), more taxes per land area, and more transportation options which helps low income residents (Speck, 2012; Forsyth, 2015). Additionally, there have been studies done that show housing in walkable areas commands a price premium (Pivo & Fisher, 2011). This should be a good sign for communities because walkable areas are more likely to get built if a land developer can fetch a higher price for a walkable property. But what exactly is the walkability premium for properties in Omaha, NE if there is one? The studies that have linked walkability to higher property values were done in larger cities and few studies have looked at smaller metros in the Midwest (Hack, 2013; Leinberger & Alfonzo, 2012). This study seeks help to fill in this gap in the research by looking specifically at walkability’s correlation to property values in Omaha, NE, a mid-size midwestern city. This study looked at three different land uses in Omaha, NE to see if there is a correlation between walkability and property value. The three land uses were single-family houses, apartments, and restaurants. Property values were measured using data from the Douglas County, NE assessor’s office. The walkability of each parcel was measured using a 1-100 scale as generated from WalkScore.com. A positive correlation between WalkScore and property values was found but only in the eastern part of the city. The correlation was highest in the apartment land use and lower but still positive for single-family houses and restaurants. In the western part of Omaha, there were negative correlations between WalkScore and property value across all three land uses. These results are expected to contribute to walkability literature as a case study on the relationship of walkability to property valuation. It could also be used by municipalities and land developers who are interested in the value of properties they are developing for their communities.

Using data from the prospective Black Women's Health Study (BWHS; n=18,525), the impact of neighborhood walkability on incident diabetes and depressive symptomology was assessed. Neighborhood walkability was assessed for BWHS participants residing in Chicago, IL, Los Angeles, CA or New York, New York in 1995, 1997 or 1999 by factor-analyzing 14 components (e.g., sidewalk coverage, number/type of intersections, population/housing density) into a single continuous measure ("neighborhood walkability"), divided into four categories (least walkable, 2nd least walkable, 2nd most walkable, most walkable). Compared to women living in a most walkable neighborhood in 1995, women living in a least walkable neighborhood had a modestly higher hazard of incident diabetes over 16 years of follow-up (IRR=1.06; 95% CI=0.90-1.24) and a higher risk of depressive symptomology, using 1999 and 2005 Center for Epidemiologic Studies (CES-D) scores (CES-D≥16: RR=1.02, 95% CI=0.94-1.11; CES-D≥25: RR=1.18, 95% CI=1.02-1.37). Associations with incident diabetes were strongest among women who resided in a higher SES neighborhood, among the healthiest women (lowest body mass index, most frequent vigorous exercise), and when follow-up was lagged four or 10 years, while associations with depressive symptomology were strongest among women who resided in Los Angeles, who engaged in no vigorous activity at baseline, or who averaged less than one per hour travelling in a car or bus. Neighborhood walkability and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) were strongly inversely related; disentangling these two aspects is a methodological challenge to assessing the health impact of the built environment. In a subset of 3,000 addresses, neighborhood walkability in 1999 was highly positively correlated (r=0.70) with WalkScore® (a free, publicly-available measure relying upon walking distances to specified amenities) in 2012-13. Neighborhood walkability and WalkScore® were both valid measures of neighborhood walkability, best gauged using total length of bus routes, number of intersections, and total sidewalk length. WalkScore® has the potential to serve as a "standard" neighborhood walkability measure, allowing easier comparison of the health impact of the built environment across many studies.