Developing a flexible, high resolution, policy relevant index of urban liveability in Australia. American Statistical Association. 12th International Conference on Health Policy Statistics: Charleston, South Carolina, United States - 10 January 2018

Urban liveability is increasingly recognised in state and federal urban planning policies as a built environment determinant of population health and wellbeing. However, use of aggregate data for calculation of the liveability construct is fraught with risk of ecological bias.

This poster reports on the development of a policy-relevant composite indicator of urban liveability calculated for residential parcels, allowing for flexible aggregation and assessment of within-area variation. The pilot Urban Liveability Index (ULI) was conceptualised using a socio-ecological framework, and a scripted workflow for calculation and database management was developed. The index was calculated for 1,550,641 address points in Melbourne, Australia using 2011 as a target point for data, measuring destination access using two distinct approaches characterised as hard- and soft-thresholds. Heterogeneity in estimates accrued when aggregated to progressively larger administrative area scales were evaluated using the ratio of within- to between area variation. Associations with walking for transport behaviour were evaluated using a population travel survey and multilevel logistic regression modelling.

Presented on 10 January 2018 at the American Statistical Association's 12th International Conference on Health Policy Statistics in Charleston, South Carolina, United States.