Directional Disorder and Its Discontents: The Effect of Street Network Regularity on Life Satisfaction

Abstract Urban street networks shape how residents move through and experience cities, yet the causal effects of their spatial organization on well-being remain poorly understood. Combining a nationwide survey from China with street-network data, we use an instrumental variable approach to estimate the effect of street-network regularity on residents' well-being. We find that less regular street layouts significantly reduce residents' life satisfaction. A one-standard-deviation increase in orientation entropy lowers life satisfaction by 0.060 standard deviations, a magnitude comparable to the well-documented effect of an 18-minute increase in one-way commuting time. This effect arises because irregular networks lengthen commuting time and raise transportation costs. This negative effect is stronger for older and low‑income residents. In addition, street‑network disorder lowers self‑rated health. Finally, technology adoption, including digital navigation tools and private-vehicle access, attenuates the welfare loss from irregular street layouts. Our research provides policy implications for effective street‑network optimization and improved residents' subjective well-being. JEL Codes: R41, R11, I31, O18