Examining Job Accessibility of the Urban Poor by Urban Metro and Bus: A Case Study of Beijing

Abstract

Using data from Beijing, this paper evaluates job accessibility for people living in affordable housing to job centers by public transit, including urban metro and bus. By comparing the middle and low-income group who mainly use public transit and higher income group who mainly travel by car, results show an accessibility gap for different modes of transportation as travel by public transit takes nearly double the amount of time as travel by car. While commuting time is closely linked to the location of the provided affordable housing, it is also dependent on the quality of local public transit service. Areas with substantial travel time differences between public transit and car travel reveal the weaknesses of public transit provision. Furthermore, average commuting time by both public transit and car from areas of affordable housing built after 2004 is much longer than that from previously built areas implying that low-income groups are being driven to more disadvantaged locations with time changes. In contrast to the classical job-housing mismatch hypothesis in U.S. cities, the mismatch model in Chinese cities is that while major job opportunities are still concentrated in the central city, affordable housing residents who rely on urban metro and bus are being moved further afield into distant suburban areas. The paper will provide the implication for affordable housing and transportation planning in Chinese cities in the future. Improving job accessibility by further establishment of urban metro system for this demographic will promote the urban economy and provide social welfare for the disadvantaged.