Accessibility and Transit-Oriented Development in European metropolitan areas

This study investigates how urban form is related to accessibility. In particular, it explores the relationship between Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) and rail-based accessibility in a metropolitan area. The following overarching questions are addressed: Does a TOD-informed urban spatial structure correlate with high rail based accessibility? Which features of TOD are correlated to rail-based accessibility? These questions are answered through a comparative analysis of six metropolitan areas in Europe. The “TOD degree”, operationalized as the extent to which urban development is concentrated along rail corridors and stations, is correlated with a cumulative opportunity measure of rail-based accessibility to jobs and inhabitants.The comparison demonstrates that rail-based accessibility is higher in urban areas where inhabitants and jobs are more concentrated around the railway network and in lesser measure in urban areas with higher values of network connectivity. No correlation is found between rail-based accessibility and average densities of inhabitants and jobs.     

Determining intra-urban spatial accessibility disparities in multimodal public transport networks

Urban rail systems have been added to public transport systems, thereby changing distribution disparities in urban spatial accessibility. These disparities reflect both the ability of the public transport system to meet the needs of residents and the locational pros and cons of public service facilities. In this paper, integrated accessibility metrics are used to assess the disparities in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. This is achieved by dividing the urban space into a multilevel grid that can be easily combined with grid-based population data to facilitate accessibility modeling, calculation, and evaluation. Additionally, an acquisition method for more accurate travel time data in the multimodal public transportation network was developed on the basis of an Internet mapping service. This provides a realistic, multimodal, door-to-door modeling approach that avoids the requirement of building complex traffic networks through Geographic Information System (GIS) software and simplifies road network modeling efforts. The results show that this modeling method can be used to reflect the accessibility disparities in the Nanjing urban space objectively and accurately.     

An investigation of the performance of urban rail transit systems on the corridor level: A comparative analysis in the American west

Since the 1980s, significant investments have been made in urban rail transit across the United States, particularly using light rail technology. Most of these light rail systems have been built in Sunbelt cities which no longer had legacy rail systems. As a result, they were constructed using a building blocks approach, being funded corridor by corridor. Most research, however, on urban rail performance has taken place at the system-wide level, leaving a significant gap at the level of the transit corridor. This research examined nineteen urban rail corridors in Denver, Salt Lake City, and Portland. A performance score was constructed for each corridor based upon ridership per mile, ridership growth, capital costs, and the cost of ongoing operations. These scores were then compared with the geographic profile of each corridor studied. Corridors in each city ranked high and low, with no city emerging as a clear frontrunner. More centrally-located corridors in each city registered the highest performance scores, while longer corridors in more peripheral locations had lower performance scores. Headways, population density, job density, walkability, and percentage renter occupied housing units were found to have a statistically significant relationship with high corridor performance, largely in line with previous studies, though median income, bus connections, and park and ride spaces were not found to increase performance in this study.     

Mapping accessibility in Belgium: a tool for land-use and transport planning?

This paper compares the spatial structure of car accessibility to towns and to railway stations during peak and off-peak hours in Belgium for the country’s 2616 municipalities. A clustering method is applied. It is shown that in a highly urbanised country, the situation is far from being spatially equitable in terms of accessibility, and some areas are more favoured than others. Congestion increases spatial inequalities, differently according to absolute or relative measures of change. By means of examples, this paper shows that even simple accessibility indicators could be useful to support decisions taken by planners and politicians (e.g. as regards the development of residential, industrial and business park areas). Maps indicate the spatial inequalities in terms of accessibility to urban centres and transport nodes, and the impact of congestion on these inequalities. The absolute and relative time losses due to congestion affect different areas in different ways. The location of new developments further increases the congestion problem and the spatial disparities. This paper also insists on the caution that should be adopted when measuring and interpreting “accessibility”, its measurements, its inputs, its temporal changes in absolute and relative terms as well as the need for spatially disaggregated data.     

The impacts of high-speed rail extensions on accessibility and spatial equity changes in South Korea from 2004 to 2018

The construction of South Korean High-Speed Rail (HSR) or Korea Train eXpress (KTX) has been evolving in phases since its first operation in 2004. This development raises concerns whether the benefits from the extended HSR network would again be limited to the initial HSR corridors and will deepen the inequalities in accessibility with the rising issue of uneven regional development of the country. This paper measures the accessibility of each stage of HSR network extension and evaluates its spatial distribution, variation, and changes using weighted averaged travel time and potential accessibility indicators. The results of this study find different accessibility impacts from each stage of HSR extension. Although travel-time reduction and increased attractions have been widened in more cities by each HSR extension, the spatial equity is degenerated by the extension in 2010/2011 as the improvement of accessibility has been concentrated in cities along the primary HSR corridor near the already-advantageous Seoul capital area. In contrast, the future HSR extension in 2018 will enhance equitable accessibility to the isolated regions such as the northeast and the southwest regions of the country. However, the relative degree of accessibility improvement will not be large enough for increasing the spatial equity of accessibility without more extended HSR networks between provinces.     

Assessing equity in transport accessibility to work and study: The Bogotá region

This research was aimed at exploring levels of equity in accessibility to employment and education in the city-region of Bogotá, Colombia's capital city. Building on consolidated methodologies for the assessment of potential accessibility, we estimate accessibility indicators at the zone level, evaluate how potential accessibility varies among income groups, and present evidence related to transport mode, in order to analyze social and spatial inequalities produced by the distribution of accessibility to employment and education activities. The research incorporates a method to evaluate how accessibility varies among zones according to average income and mode of transport in order to produce evidence-based arguments that can inform transport policy in the city-region of Bogotá, and other similar contexts in the Global South. Our results show strong distributional effects of the socio-spatial and economic structure of the city-region, its transport infrastructure and services, and the effect of current transport and land-use policies for citizens of different income groups. The tools and empirical evidence in this research seek to contribute to informed policy development in Latin America and other developing contexts, and feeding current debates on the role of accessibility in addressing social and spatial inequalities stemming from urban mobility.     

Accessibility,mobility, and realized travel behavior: Assessing transport disadvantage from a policy perspective

Limited accessibility and mobility can result in decreased quality of life and well-being, as well as social exclusion. In the United States (U.S.), rural and small urban communities suffer from transport disadvantage due to a lack of transit and a low density of employment, education, recreation, and other opportunities. While the international literature has produced a number of methods and frameworks to assess transport disadvantage and its impacts, the U.S. has lagged behind in providing pertinent studies. The objective of this paper is to establish comprehensive measures that can support the identification, evaluation, and quantification of transport disadvantage in U.S. rural and small urban communities, considering both data availability and the unique characteristics of the U.S. The concept of transport disadvantage in this paper denotes the disadvantage of a specific population group or area that results from a difficulty accessing transportation and/or opportunities. To achieve this objective, this paper develops a spatial multi-perspective approach to account for the three essential elements of transport disadvantage: accessibility, mobility, and realized travel behavior.The developed approach provides an assessment of transport needs and need gaps that can be of benefit to small urban and rural communities and their planning practices, as well as to transport providers. The analysis in this paper suggests that—from a policy perspective—a combination of measures that account for all three essential elements of transport disadvantage should be considered, because the results of each measure complement those of the others. This paper illustrates the proposed approach using a case study of Indiana. The findings suggest that a great part of rural and small urban Indiana presents a low density of opportunities and that transport-disadvantaged residents of such areas might experience the impacts of low transit supply as well. In addition, the findings suggest that residents of rural and small urban areas travel longer distances on their day-to-day activities.This paper attempts to advance the national research pertaining to transport disadvantage and provide a framework that can support planning and policy decisions at the community as well as at the state level.     

Public transit accessibility approach to understand the equity for public healthcare services: A case study of Greater Mumbai

Urban public health is one of the most critical yet neglected aspects of urban planning in developing countries such as India. Inequity in access to government healthcare facilities affects the overall urban population and can substantially negatively impact the vulnerable population, who mostly rely on government healthcare services. In this paper, the accessibility measure for healthcare services by public transport is developed using travel time and the number of transit stops (accounting for transit connectivity) for Greater Mumbai. We also identified socially vulnerable wards (administrative units) using a Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), developed based on 16 indicators using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Developed regression models showed that the proposed accessibility measure explains the coverage and usage of healthcare services better than the traditional accessibility measure, which is based on only aggregate level travel time impedances. South Mumbai has relatively better accessibility for public hospitals and dispensaries, whereas, lower level of accessibility is observed in the eastern part for public healthcare services. Assessment for the spatial inequity based on the Gini index, bivariate Moran's I, and mean access value reveals a higher degree of spatial inequity for accessing government hospitals for the slum population. The study developed a decision framework to suggest effective policy measures, which can be prioritised based on SVI to reduce the disparity in the spatial distribution of accessibility to government healthcare systems for vulnerable groups. Our findings can aid transportation and urban planners, health researchers, and policymakers to improve accessibility in under-served areas and give special attention to the needs of the vulnerable population.     

Indicators of transport and accessibility problems in rural Australia

Australia belongs to a small group of countries that are low density but affluent, and characterised by very high vehicle ownership levels but very little public transport in rural areas. It is widely believed that there are few problems of mobility and accessibility, apart from long distances, because everyone has a car. A literature review generally confirms this perception, although there are hardly any suitable local case studies. An analysis of the rural areas of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia sought indicators of transport-related problems, using mainly census data. While the basic urban/rural distinction is clearly defined, within the rural areas patterns of vehicle ownership are unusual, and in the remotest areas are not as high as would be expected. Relationships with socio-economic variables are not consistent. Accessibility measures are incorporated in the analysis, and a travel needs index suggested. Appropriate case studies are required to establish travel behaviour patterns and the responses of disadvantaged groups.     

What are corridors and what are the issues? Introduction to special issue: the governance of corridors

Linear concepts such as the corridor have a long history in spatial and urban planning. The recent megacorridor or eurocorridor concept, proposed in the context of discussion on European territorial development, strives to integrate policies on infrastructure, urbanisation and economic development. As is shown by the example of the Netherlands, the corridor concept can count on a hostile reception from spatial planners. As an analytical concept the corridor can hardly be denied its legitimacy. Several urgent policy issues can be attached to corridor developments that together require an improved coordination between policy domains at different spatial levels.     

Land use and public transport integration in small cities and towns: Assessment methodology and application

It is widely accepted that land use and public transport planning should be harmonised in order to provide a viable alternative to car transport. Following the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) concept, many studies and plans aim to concentrate urban development in areas accessible by high-quality public transport. Encouraged by studies asserting the positive relation between urban density and public transport use, scholars and practitioners focused their attention on tools and strategies that increase urban density, thereby overlooking geographical contexts where these strategies cannot be applied. TOD might however be also a valuable strategy in low-density contexts, like lower density parts of metropolitan areas, or suburban areas and small towns. It seems therefore relevant and interesting to develop a methodology to explore the value of TOD strategies in such contexts. Our paper fills this analytical and application gap and proposes to extend the conceptualization and implementation of land use and public transport integration to areas where low-density urban development has already occurred (e.g., low-density suburbs, or areas where the protection of natural and cultural heritage precedes urban development). In such cases, where is not possible to increase urban density around transport nodes, the quality of the transport network plays a decisive role.The approach builds on the Node-Place Model by including evaluations of the quality of feeder networks. We applied the methodology to a case study in the Campania Region in southern Italy, indicating a possible way to evaluate land use and public transport integration while considering, at the same time, the quality of transport as network.The application of the methodology allowed to highlight imbalances between accessibility – by main and feeder transport – and land use intensity, and to sketch urban development strategies and priorities of intervention on the transport network.     

Accessibility modelling: predicting the impact of planned transport infrastructure on accessibility patterns in Edinburgh,UK

The achievement of good spatial accessibility and equity in the distribution of urban services is one of the supreme goals for urban planners. With Scottish Government backing, the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) has started to construct a tram network to cater for the future needs of Scotland’s capital city by providing an integrated transport solution using trams and buses. Spatial Network Analysis of Public Transport Accessibility (SNAPTA) which is a GIS-based accessibility model has been developed to measure the accessibility by public transport to different urban services and activities. The model responds to several limitations in other existing accessibility models in planning practice. It offers an alternative and practical tool to help planners and decision makers in examining the strengths and weaknesses of land use – transport integration. SNAPTA has been applied to a pilot study in Edinburgh city to identify the contribution of the infrastructure improvements of the tram system and Edinburgh South Suburban Railway (ESSR) to improved accessibility by public transport to six types of activity opportunities. This paper outlines the concept and methodology of the SNAPTA model, and presents the findings related to this pilot study with a focus on changes in potential accessibility to jobs between four different public transport network scenarios. The accessibility values so obtained help to identify the gaps in the coverage of the public transport network and the efficiency in the spatial distribution of urban services and activities. The findings focus on whether the planned transport infrastructures for Edinburgh will lead to better accessibility and reduced inequity (in terms of accessibility) across the city.     

The impact of urban features in cycling potential – A tale of Portuguese cities

While the bicycle is commonly understood as a suitable alternative to fulfil most of urban mobility needs, adoption rates of this transport mode vary considerably among urban areas. Those at early stages of adoption, identified as starter cycling cities, face numerous challenges, reducing the effectiveness of policies and strategies. Much research has been dedicated at identifying social and physical environment conditions favouring the use of the bicycle. Assuming cycling potential results of a good combination of physical and socio-demographic factors, we set out to identify dominant contexts generating high levels of cycling potential. The previously developed Gross Potential for Cycling is applied to 21 Portuguese municipalities of different spatial contexts. By looking at the particularities of different typologies of urban territories, a set of k-means clustering analyses investigates which combination of factors contribute to the establishment of a high cycling potential.The results indicate that, in the set of case studies, high accessibility to schools and urban centralities are common in high cycling potential areas, regardless of spatial context. Three clusters were identified from the combination of the age profile of residents and the connectivity features of the territory, defining the main typologies of high cycling potential areas. As different urban typologies pose distinct configurations on the performance of the different evaluated indicators, these outcomes are crucial to inform policy makers on where to prioritize investment for the establishment of a new cycling culture.     

Assessing equity in park accessibility using a travel behavior-based G2SFCA method in Nanjing,China

Spatial equity of parks is a major concern in environmental justice studies. While many measurements have been used to evaluate access to parks, few studies have considered the impact of travel behavior on park accessibility. This study aims to establish a travel behavior-based Gaussian two-step floating catchment area (TB-G2SFCA) method to assess spatial equity of parks in the Nanjing region, and Local Moran's I index is applied to identify spatial agglomeration patterns in assessing equity. The results demonstrate that (1) the traditional single-mode model maybe cannot provide accurate approach to evaluating park accessibility while the TB-G2SFCA method can provide a more realistic park accessibility evaluation; (2) the inhabitants of most communities distributed south of the Yangtze River can obtain better park services than the northern areas; (3) the spatial disparities of equity in park accessibility are severe in three suburban districts, relatively minor in four central districts, and insignificant in two central districts. These findings may assist urban planners and policy makers to frame more reasonable policy and planning to improve spatial equity to parks in urban areas.     

Shaping urban transport policies in China: Will copying foreign policies work?

After decades of rapid economic growth, Chinese cities now face serious urban transport challenges, such as congestion, air pollution, energy shortage, and global climate change. Efficient and equitable urban transport policies are essential to China’s sustainable development, in which urbanization plays a critical role. Can Chinese cities solve these challenges by copying or modeling the policies of other nations? This paper argues that understanding the unique contexts of Chinese cities is necessary for predicting whether policies implemented elsewhere will perform well in China. The study explores four examples of hotly contested urban transport policies. The previous experience of each policy is compared with its likely efficiency and distributional consequences in China. Specific attention is paid to how the policy context – the spatial and institutional characteristics of the Chinese cities – can affect the adoption of foreign urban transport policies in China. Suggestions regarding the four policies are proposed to policy makers, followed by conclusions and discussions.     

On another track: Differing views of experts and politicians on rail investments in peripheral localities

Israeli politicians strongly support inter-urban rail investment and network development connecting peripheral localities, while transport experts voice criticism and oppose many of the planned investments. This study focuses on the lacuna in transportation scholarship regarding elected officials' expectations from rail investment in peripheral areas and its potential to reduce spatial disparities, stressing that there is little research effort to reveal the reasoning of politicians when promoting transport investment and the extent to which some of the political considerations may reflect an authentic representation of public sentiments.First, an explorative qualitative study was conducted, using multiple data sets, including 12 in-depth interviews with elected officials and transport decision makers, newspaper articles, and professional documents. Analysis identified four main themes with conflicting perspectives between transport experts and politicians: Marginal vis-a-vis revolutionary effects; daily vis-a-vis less frequent activities; transport link vis-a-vis emotional link and social justice vis-a-vis social commitment. These themes reflect the tension between the discourse of accessibility led by experts and the implied discourse of mobility by politicians.The second stage was based on a large scale survey of 2008 respondents from peripheral and central localities in Israel, aimed at revealing public beliefs and preferences regarding rail investment in peripheral localities.Results showed that differences of opinion between experts and politicians do not stem only from political bias or irrelevant interests but reflect experts' inability to consider benefits that are appreciated by both politicians and the general public. The study also draws attention to different approaches to the goals of transportation systems. While the dominant voice in scholarly discourse considers accessibility gains as the main goal of transport policy, both elected politicians and residents from peripheral localities also appreciate mobility gains.     

Accessibility impact of the present and future high-speed rail network: A case study of Jiangsu Province,China

The large-scale implementation of a high-speed rail (HSR) network is often considered to have a significant effect on the spatial distribution of accessibility. In China, the development of HSR network has progressed rapidly since the first line commenced operation in 2008. As an important component of this network, Jiangsu province proposed an ambitious HSR construction program which planned to cover over 95% of its counties by 2030. Reduced travel time for passengers is one of the most important effects of HSR, and therefore this study aims to analyze the accessibility impact of the evolving HSR network in Jiangsu province from 2010–2030. A layered cost distance method, based on a door-to-door approach, is proposed to evaluate the present and future accessibility at a more detailed geographical level. The results demonstrate that, with the gradual development of the HSR network, accessibility levels across the province will be improved by about 9.6%, and the distribution of the gains will be uneven since the most significant improvements will occur in the more peripheral areas. The inequality in regional accessibility will decrease by an average of 25.7%, which will produce a more homogeneous accessibility landscape. In addition, several policy measures are suggested in order to further enhance the competitiveness of the HSR network in the transport market at a regional level. This extended period of exploratory and detailed analysis is expected to facilitate proactive public policy decisions related to improving the transport network.     

Grocery store accessibility: Different metrics – Different modal disparity results and spatial patterns

Most accessibility studies focus on within transport mode travel performance variations. However, modal accessibility disparity analysis adds value to the single-mode analysis by assessing the interaction between different transport modes and land use. A review of modal disparity studies shows that different accessibility metrics lead to different results, and so it is unclear how this impacts modal accessibility disparity variation. Moreover, the correspondence of the disparity spatial pattern between the different metrics is unclear. This research examines how three typical accessibility metrics (closest facility, cumulative opportunity, space-time constrained) impact modal disparity of grocery store accessibility in Warsaw, Poland. Further, local indicators of spatial association are used to identify areas of similarity and difference between the metrics. This study finds that cumulative opportunities during non-rush hours indicate the best car advantage for all travel times but indicate the best transit advantage during rush hours for 15 min. Generally, the space-time metric indicates better transit accessibility than the closest facility metric which in turn shows better transit accessibility than cumulative opportunities. The city center has significant spatial similarity while peripheral, especially dense, areas have significant spatial difference. Similarity areas have higher transit stop and population densities, while difference areas have average-to-low stop, population, road and store densities.     

Accessibility and proximity effects of bus rapid transit on housing prices: Heterogeneity across price quantiles and space

Bus rapid transit (BRT) systems have mushroomed worldwide in the last few decades. An enriched understanding of BRT capitalization effects is essential. Although the BRT accessibility effect on housing prices has been extensively explored, the effect of proximity to the BRT corridor (which may be related to unattractive landscape and noise pollution) has been little scrutinized. More importantly, whether and how the two effects vary across price levels and space have yet to be sufficiently studied. To this end, we estimate the effect of BRT accessibility and proximity on housing prices by applying a battery of econometric methods (including hedonic pricing models, spatial regression models, quantile regression models, and a geographically weighted regression model) to 5185 observations in the housing market in Xiamen Island, China. The results of this study are: (1) BRT accessibility premiums and proximity penalties simultaneously exist in the housing market; (2) buyers of high-priced housing have a greater willingness to pay for avoiding the nuisances attributed to proximity to the BRT corridor; (3) the effect of BRT on housing prices is spatially heterogeneous; (4) the BRT accessibility effect is larger in suburban areas than in urban areas; and (5) housing prices are more predictable near the city centers than outside the area, which may be because a greater proportion of the price of a house near the city centers is derived from the location (rather than the building structure). Finally, policy implications (e.g., building acoustic barriers and planting vegetation along the BRT corridor and improving the transit service in suburban areas) are discussed.     

Impact of new motorway on housing prices in rural North-East Slovenia

The literature generally agrees that improved accessibility has a positive effect on housing values. The motorway constructions in north-eastern Slovenia, completed between 2002 and 2018, significantly improved the accessibility of less developed areas. In this article, we examine how the new motorway has affected the housing values in the mostly rural north-eastern part of Slovenia. We analysed the distance decay effect of amenities and disamenities of motorway links and ramps as well as bus stops, train stations, and railway links on housing prices. In addition to the transport infrastructure variables, we analysed numerous other structural and environmental variables. We estimated three different spatial hedonic regression models: the spatial autoregression model, the spatial error model, and the spatial autocorrelation model.The results indicate that none of proximities to the bus stop, train station, or motorway link have had a significant effect on housing value. However, the rail track proximity exhibited a significant negative association with price. Furthermore, the effect of distance to the nearest motorway ramp on housing value is significant: it is stronger for closer distances (i.e. starting from 500 m) and decreases up to 6 km, while the effect of distances below 500 m is insignificant. Our results also show that bigger dwellings, more rooms, and the presence of a balcony, elevator, central auto heating system, new installation, and air conditioning as well as an apartment in a single house, are associated with a higher housing price. On the contrary, selling the dwellings together with a parking place and basement reduced the average price of the housing property. Comparing our results to the literature, we proved our hypothesis that the negative effect of a motorway is less pronounced in rural areas compared to urban areas and that the positive effect of accessibility is stronger in rural areas and extends over a wider geographical area.