A Study on the Effects of Neighborhood Environmental Characteristics on the Level of the Social Capital: Focused on the Mediating Effect of Walking Activity

This study aims to examine the effects of neighborhood environment characteristics and walking activities on the level of social capital in Seoul, Korea. Social capital, which consists of trust, network, reciprocity, and participation, could be formed through daily interactions among residents. In addition, neighborhood-level social capital is one of the most important components in urban regeneration and social sustainability. This study focuses on the mediating effects of walking activity between neighborhood environmental characteristics and social capital, using the survey data of 2,500 residents in Seoul. The survey includes the respondents social environment, perceived physical environment and walking activity. This study also considers objectively measured neighborhood physical environment variables. The results indicate that the perceived neighborhood environment including accessibility to public transportation and accessibility to park and river as well as objectively measured built environment are associated with walking activities and social capital. In addition, this study confirms the mediating effects of walking activity between neighborhood environmental characteristics and the level of social capital.