Income and Racial Disparity and the Role of the Built Environment in Pedestrian Injuries

This study examined the impacts of built environments on pedestrian-vehicle crashes with different levels of severity and the income and racial disparities related to different crash injuries in Austin, Texas. Arterial roads and commercial areas were associated with more injurious crashes. The presence of schools had a positive association with both injurious and no-injury crashes but only in areas with high percentages of nonwhites and poverty. This implies the importance of planning that separates pedestrians from vehicles in mixed-traffic commercial environments. Schools in areas with high percentages of minorities and poverty should be given priority for improvements of pedestrian safety.