01588104

Component

While the interest in the accessibility disparities is on the rise, no index has been developed yet to systematically assess the size and scope of the accessibility problems across and between regions. The aim of this paper is to develop such an index and apply it, as a first exercise, to one urban region in the Netherlands. The authors start with the definition of accessibility poverty, which refers to a situation of low accessibility that severely restricts a person’s ability to participate in the activities deemed normal in a particular society. A person is exposed to accessibility poverty risk when he lives in an area with a low general level of accessibility. Drawing on the indices to measure income poverty, they define an accessibility poverty risk index, which takes into account both the intensity of accessibility poverty (how low is the general accessibility level experienced by a person?) and the extent of accessibility poverty (how many people are affected by accessibility poverty?). The authors apply the index to assess accessibility poverty risk in the Amsterdam region. Perhaps against expectations, they find that urban areas contribute most to the overall accessibility poverty risk in the region. This is explained by the sheer size of the (poor) population in these areas. Thus, while rural areas may experience the most ‘intense’ form of accessibility poverty, the extent of accessibility poverty is actually strongest in suburban areas.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADD50 Standing Committee on Environmental Justice in Transportation.

01584066

16-3266

English

16p

2016

Transportation Research Board 95th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; References; Tables

Accessibility; Equity; Low income groups; Risk analysis

Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Planning and Forecasting; Society; Transportation (General); I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2016 Paper #16-3266

PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 12 2016 5:27PM