Measuring accessibility: positive and normative implementations of various accessibility indicators
TL;DR: In this article, the authors conduct a review of various commonly used measures of accessibility, with a particular view to clarifying their normative (i.e. prescriptive), as well as positive (e.g. descriptive) aspects.
About: This article is published in Journal of Transport Geography.The article was published on 2012-11-01. It has received 497 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Normative & Meaning (existential).
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TL;DR: The focus is on putting relatively new topics on the agenda, rather than making suggestions for improvements of given accessibility indicators, and proposes avenues for future research focusing on indicators to express accessibility, and evaluation.
246 citations
TL;DR: This study analyzes public transit access to supermarkets in Cincinnati, Ohio and identifies the areas and subpopulations with the greatest need for improved access to healthy food stores and demonstrates how schedule-dependent transportation can be factored into measures of accessibility.
216 citations
TL;DR: Wang et al. as mentioned in this paper investigated the impacts of high speed rail on changes in in-vehicle travel time and out-of-car travel time with respect to the policy changes that reduced the operating speed of HSR trains, rearranged the train timetable, and lowered the ticket fare on HSR train.
215 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a critical review of the progress in understanding the linkages between transport disadvantage and social exclusion is provided, highlighting the Janus-faced character of social capital as a medium for both the effectuation of progressive social change and the perpetuation and creation of social inequalities.
Abstract: This paper provides a critical review of the progress in understanding the linkages between transport disadvantage and social exclusion. It follows earlier work in proposing social capital as a concept that mediates those linkages but argues that transport researchers must not confine themselves to conceptualisations of social capital as predominantly benign and capable of reducing transport disadvantage and social exclusion. A range of hypothetical pathways is discussed, highlighting the Janus-faced character of social capital as a medium for both the effectuation of progressive social change and the perpetuation and creation of social inequalities. An analysis is provided of the extent to which the recent transport-related literature supports or rejects the hypothesised pathways, and key avenues for future research are identified.
173 citations
Cites background from "Measuring accessibility: positive a..."
...It draws attention to the centrality of accessibility – the (relative) ease with which a person can reach potential destinations (Neutens et al., 2010; Páez et al., 2012) – to social interaction and participation in society (see also the line of research by Farber et al. (2013; 2014) and Neutens et…...
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TL;DR: In this paper, an extensive review of published research that measures active accessibility is presented, and the literature is classified into four categories based on the methodology used: distance-based, gravity-based or potential, topological or infra- structure-based and walkability and walk score-type measures.
Abstract: Active travel is enthusiastically promoted in the Western world due to its clear and demonstrated individual and collective benefits. While active travel has been shown to be associated with features of the built environment such as density and land-use mix, it is also associated with walking and cycling accessibility—which we designate as active accessibility. However, the measurement of active accessibil- ity is not straightforward and it can represent significantly different features of the built environment. This paper presents an extensive review of published research that measures active accessibility. We classified the literature into four categories based on the methodology used: distance-based, gravity-based or potential, topological or infra- structure-based, and walkability and walk score-type measures. A fifth category was created to classify outliers consisting of distinct methodological approaches or hybrids of the four main categories. We argue that almost all of these methods have conceptual and computational limitations, and that there are inconsistencies in the use of concepts and terms. Furthermore, no sensitivity analysis was carried out on the selected parameters. We conclude by presenting some guidelines that might improve the value and clarity of active accessibility research, theory, and practice.
173 citations
Cites background from "Measuring accessibility: positive a..."
...Time, as an impedance unit is only considered when accessing public transport or, in Páez, Scott, and Morency (2012), accessing daycare facilities....
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...Apparicio et al. (2008) measured the distance to the three, the five and all the closest health facilities and Páez, Scott, and Morency (2012) measured the distance (in travel time) to all daycare facilities within a floating catchment area....
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...Values range from the classic 400 meters (0.25 miles) to almost 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) (Páez, Scott, and Morency 2012)....
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01 Jan 1970
3,730 citations
TL;DR: A review of accessibility measures for assessing the usability of these measures in evaluations of land-use and transport strategies and developments is presented in this paper, using a broad range of relevant criteria, including theoretical basis, interpretability and communicability, and data requirements of the measures.
2,185 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide a framework for the development of accessibility measures and two case studies suggestive of the range of possible approaches are presented, as well as issues that planners must address in developing an accessibility measure.
Abstract: Accessibility is an important characteristic of metropolitan areas and is often reflected in transportation and land-use planning goals. But the concept of accessibility has rarely been translated into performance measures by which policies are evaluated, despite a substantial literature on the concept. This paper is an attempt to bridge the gap between the academic literature and the practical application of such measures and provide a framework for the development of accessibility measures. Issues that planners must address in developing an accessibility measure are outlined, and two case studies suggestive of the range of possible approaches are presented.
1,437 citations
TL;DR: Basic concepts and measurements of access are explained, some historical background is provided, the major questions concerning geographic accessibility of primary care are outlined, recent developments in GIS and spatial analysis are described, and examples of promising work are presented.
Abstract: Primary care is recognized as the most important form of healthcare for maintaining population health because it is relatively inexpensive, can be more easily delivered than specialty and inpatient care, and if properly distributed it is most effective in preventing disease progression on a large scale. Recent advances in the field of health geography have greatly improved our understanding of the role played by geographic distribution of health services in population health maintenance. However, most of this knowledge has accrued for hospital and specialty services and services in rural areas. Much less is known about the effect of distance to and supply of primary care on primary care utilization, particularly in the U.S.
1,155 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compare the relationship and spatial patterns of these thirty accessibility measures using network-based GIS procedures and conclude that space-time and integral indices are distinctive types of accessibility measures which reflect different dimensions of the accessibility experience of individuals.
Abstract: Conventional integral measures of accessibility, although valuable as indicators of place accessibility, have several limitations when used to evaluate individual accessibility. Two alternatives for overcoming some of the difficulties involved are explored in this study. One is to adapt these measures for evaluating individual accessibility using a disaggregate, nonzonal approach. The other is to develop different types of measures based on an alternative conceptual framework. To pursue the former alternative, this study specifies and examines eighteen gravity-type and cumulative-opportunity accessibility measures using a point-based spatial framework. For the latter option, twelve space-time accessibility measures are developed based on the construct of a prism-constrained feasible opportunity set. This paper compares the relationships and spatial patterns of these thirty measures using network-based GIS procedures. Travel diary data collected in Columbus, Ohio, and a digital data set of 10,727 selected land parcels are used for all computation. Results of this study indicate that space-time and integral indices are distinctive types of accessibility measures which reflect different dimensions of the accessibility experience of individuals. Since space-time measures are more capable of capturing interpersonal differences, especially the effect of space-time constraints, they are more “gender sensitive” and helpful for unraveling gender/ethnic differences in accessibility. An important methodological implication is that whether accessibility is observed to be important or different between individuals depends heavily on whether the measure used is capable of revealing the kind of differences the analyst intends to observe.
998 citations