Social exclusion and accessibility among low- and non-low-income groups: A case study of Nanjing, China

Abstract

Accessibility is closely related to human health and life quality and is a potential indicator of social exclusion. With an activity-space measure and by weighting the importance of facilities, this study examines the differences in access to facilities between low- and non-low-income groups at both the individual and community levels using Nanjing as a case study. The results show that low-income individuals' access to public transit and commercial facilities is lower than that of individuals in the non-low-income group at the individual level. However, the differences in facility accessibility vary by community type. Participants living in danwei communities and traditional dilapidated communities have better access to facilities and services. However, low-income individuals who live in affordable housing have the lowest accessibility levels among the residents in the three different types of neighborhoods, resulting in their highest risk of social exclusion and isolation in disadvantaged spaces. The regression models reveal that individuals' socioeconomic attributes and characteristics of activities and built-environment attributes have different impacts on facility accessibility of participants of different communities. Social policies should support the equitable distribution of urban resources for different social groups, especially for vulnerable groups who live in affordable housing.