Impact of built environment on elderly walking in community life circles: age-friendly perspective, Wuchang District,...

Rapid population aging underscores the need for walkable environments tailored to older adults. As community life circles serve as primary daily settings for elders, their built environment critically influences walking activity, yet few studies compare multiple scales across different community types. Based on survey data from 1,965 older adults in Wuchang District, Wuhan, and using street-view image semantic segmentation, deep learning, and geographic information system (GIS) spatial analysis, this study employs ordinal logistic regression models to examine how built environment characteristics in 5-, 10-, and 15-min community life circles affect elderly walking in old versus new communities. The findings reveal significant scale- and community-specific effects. In old communities, building density and land use mix are positively associated with walking in the 5-min circle but negatively associated in the 10-min circle. In new communities, enclosure inhibits walking in the 5-min circle, while the proportion of traffic safety facilities facilitates walking across all circles. These results highlight the need for precise, circle-specific governance of age-friendly walking environments within community life circles.