Spatial Accessibility Analysis Research Articles

Evaluating the accessibility to healthcare facilities under the Chinese hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system.

An accurate assessment of current healthcare resource allocations is essential to address existing inequities in the hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system introduced in China. The data come from statistical reports of local governments and the developer platform of Amap, a Chinese mobile map. The data were analysed using the hierarchical two-step floating catchment area method. By spatial accessibility analysis, the distribution of accessibility to hierarchical healthcare facilities in Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province was found to be uneven, with clustered high accessibility in the central, north-western and southern parts of the city. To enhance the capacity of healthcare services, the government should allocate healthcare resources rationally to better associate with population densities.

Spatial accessibility and equity analysis of Amazon parcel lockers facilities

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the growth of e-commerce and home deliveries. Automated parcel lockers are a way to improve delivery efficiency, but despite their rapid growth, little is known about their accessibility and equity impacts. Among e-commerce players in the U.S., Amazon stands out by its large market share. This research studies the location of Amazon lockers in Portland, Oregon utilizing highway, land use, employment, and sociodemographic datasets. Geographical tools and cluster analysis are utilized to estimate accessibility and equity metrics. Lockers tend to be located in mixed-use areas and can be utilized by a large percentage of the population. However, the equity metrics indicate that the current distribution of lockers could be improved to reach traditionally underserved populations. Given the environmental and economic advantages of lockers, policymakers should encourage the expansion of this type of last mile solution to avoid market failures in areas that are currently underserved.

Towards Equity in Micromobility: Spatial Analysis of Access to Bikes and Scooters amongst Disadvantaged Populations

In recent years, cities around the world have launched various micromobility programs to offer more convenient and efficient mobility options that make transit networks more accessible. However, the question of whether micromobility services are accessible to and equitably distributed amongst all populations still remains unanswered. In this study, we investigate the spatial accessibility of disadvantaged communities, such as racial and ethnic minorities, low-income populations, and transit-dependent populations, to scooter and bike services. The ultimate goal of this study is to examine associations between the level of access to bikes and scooters and the racial and social characteristics of communities throughout the City of Austin, Texas. To achieve this goal, first, equity analysis with a Lorenz curve was performed to understand how bike and scooter accessibility is distributed among the population. Then, both Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) models were generated to explore factors associated with bike and scooter accessibility. The analysis of the residuals showed more consistent results in the GWR models than in the OLS models. The equity analysis with the Lorenz curve conducted herein reveals extreme inequity in access to micromobility services. Almost 80 percent of residents have no access to bikes and scooters. Access is even worse for transit-dependent people when compared to the general population. The regression models further revealed that areas with a higher proportion of Black residents were less likely to have access to both bikes and scooters, yet positive associations were found for both bike and scooter accessibility and low-income populations. Increased understanding of spatial access to bikes and scooters can support ongoing efforts to deliver equitable transportation systems, improve transportation alternatives for disadvantaged populations, and support future policy actions related to bike and scooter services.

179Selecting health need indicators for spatial equity analysis of primary health care in New Zealand

Abstract Background Populations with high needs often have poor health care access. Defining need is challenging, with no agreed-upon indicator of health need for primary care based spatial equity research in New Zealand. We examined seven potential indicators and tested for evidence of the Inverse Care Law in the Waikato region. Methods Indicators were identified through a systematic literature review and scored according to ten selection criteria. Indicators were mapped and analysed using GIS. Spearman’s correlations were calculated between indicators, and clusters of high need identified through spatial autocorrelation. The impact of incorporating indicator-based-weightings into an accessibility model was tested using ANOVA and Spearman’s correlations. GP service spatial equity was assessed by comparing clusters of access and need, and quantified through the Gini coefficient. Results While smoking rates met the most selection criteria, ambulatory sensitive hospitalisation (ASH) rates were significantly correlated with all indicators. Health needs were significantly clustered, but incorporating indicator weightings into the spatial accessibility analysis did not impact accessibility scores. A misalignment of access and need, and Gini coefficient of 0.281 suggests that services are not equitably distributed. Conclusions ASH rates seem a robust indicator of health need. However, data access issues may restrict their use. High need clusters vary spatially according to the indicator used. Key messages GIS techniques can identify ‘hot-spots’ of need, but these can be masked in accessibility models. Indicators should be carefully selected according to the research question.

Equivalence of care? Accessibility and availability of dialysis services for older prisoners in Switzerland.

According to the principle of equivalence of care, health care in prison has to be of the same standard and quality as in the general population. This study aims to determine the geographic accessibility of dialysis services for older prisoners and the older general population in Switzerland and whether accessibility and availability of dialysis care are equivalent. Spatial accessibility analysis incorporated four different data types: population data, administrative data, street network data and addresses of prisons and hemodialysis services. Analysis revealed that the average travel time to the nearest dialysis service was better for prisoners (11.5 min) than for the general population (14.8 min). However, dialysis service for prisoners is hampered by the necessary lead-time in correctional settings, which, ultimately, leads to longer overall access times (36.5 min). Accordingly, the equivalence of dialysis care for older Swiss prisoners is not entirely respected for availability and accessibility. The strength of the study lies in the combination of ethical principles and the highly tangible results of a spatial accessibility analysis. The ethics-driven empirical analysis provides arguments for policy-makers to review the current practices.

Sustainable Urban spatial resilience in improving the quality of livable Green Open Space (GOS). Case study: An implementation of Green City Development Program (GCDP) in Malang City Center Development Area, Indonesia

Sustainable Development Goals are collective agreements that generally result in harmonious and sustainable development. Harmony contains understanding related to ecological, humanities, and economic aspects. Sustainable development aims to improve the quality of life of present and future generations. In other words, sustainable city development leads to the creation of livable city ecosystems. A livable city is an ideal condition that can provide space for city life in a natural and sustainable urban area. The GOS revitalization must pay attention to the dimensions of scale, structure, shape, function, and urban spatial networks. Urban Resilience as a process can interpret as an effort to increase the ability to absorb and respond to the effects of disasters and reorganize to overcome disruptions in achieving normal conditions after disaster stress or urban changes. This discussion aims to create a sustainable urban spatial resilience model in improving the quality of livable GOS. The research method used is descriptive exploratory based on GOS map data and filed survey of GOS improving implementation in the Central Malang Development Area. Analysis of spatial structure resilience and spatial accessibility was carried out to assess the convenience of using public spaces. This analysis is conducted to answer the question of what factors affect the sustainability of resilience urban Green Open Space.

Selecting Health Need Indicators for Spatial Equity Analysis in the New Zealand Primary Care Context.

To examine potential indicators of health need for primary care in spatial equity research, and evidence of the Inverse Care Law in the Waikato region of New Zealand. A cross-sectional analysis of 7 health need indicators (ambulatory sensitive hospitalizations; cancer rate; mortality rate; New Zealand index of multiple deprivation-health domain; age; New Zealand index of deprivation; smoking rate) that were identified through a systematic review was carried out. Values of indicators were mapped and analyzed using geographic information systems (GIS). Spearman's correlations were calculated between indicators, and clusters of high need were identified through spatial autocorrelation. The impact of incorporating indicator-based weightings into an accessibility model was tested using analysis of variance and Spearman's correlations. General practice service spatial equity was assessed by comparing clusters of high access versus need, and quantified through the Gini coefficient. Ambulatory sensitive hospitalization (ASH) rates were significantly correlated with all indicators. Health needs were significantly clustered, but incorporating indicator weightings into the spatial accessibility analysis did not impact accessibility scores. A misalignment of access and need, and a Gini coefficient of 0.281 suggest that services are not equitably distributed. ASH rates seem a robust indicator of health need. However, data access issues may restrict their use. Area-level socioeconomic deprivation measures incorporate some social determinants of health, and they have potential for wider use. High need clusters vary spatially according to the indicator used. GIS techniques can identify "hot-spots" of need, but these can be masked in accessibility models.

Spatial Accessibility Analysis of Parks with Multiple Entrances Based on Real-Time Travel: The Case Study in Beijing

Parks are an important component of the green infrastructure in cities. They provide multiple benefits for residents’ life. Due to the uneven spatial distribution of parks, it is necessary to evaluate the spatial disparity about residents’ access to parks. The two-step floating catchment area method is suitable for measuring the accessibility of urban parks. However, few studies have noticed the representative of entrances of parks, especially adding them into the process of accessibility measurements. The floating catchment area is often determined by road speed and empirical travel time. In this article, the impact of multi-entrances of the park will be considered and real-time travel time is used in calculating accessibility. In a case of multi-entrance parks in Beijing, the average travel time of the sub-district is calculated, and with the support of the modified method, the spatial accessibilities of car driving, public transport and car-public transport mixed travel modes are obtained. The results show that the time–space compression effect of car driving is more obvious and the mixed travel mode presents the advantage of high accessibility index. This study has a theoretical and practical value for urban planning, such as advising urban planners on the siting of green park space.

Contemporary challenges of spatial development of local service centres in the suburban areas of Wrocław – example of Czernica, Poland

The residential anthropopressure in the areas around large urban centres has become an irrefutable fact. According to many analysts, the suburban development is not related to rational land-use, focused on shaping multifunctional settlement units. The paper is a study of a selected case of spatial development of a service function in the suburban area of Wrocław. The article presents the literature on the subject of building systems of service centres, as well as the analysis of planning documents of the Czernica municipality, including their correlation with higher-order planning studies. As a consequence of the above, the spatial structure of the municipality and potential development possibilities of the service centres system were analysed. For this purpose, GIS analyses (in particular, the analysis of building density or spatial accessibility analysis) were carried out. The research constituted an important starting point for shaping guidelines in the area referring to establishing a hierarchical system of service centres. This led to the further debate on shaping the spaces for integration of rural residents connected to local service centres.

EARTH OBSERVATION TO SUBSTANTIATE THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 11: PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS AND EXPERIENCES FROM AUSTRIA

Abstract. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is widely appreciated and increasingly known by a wider public. However, less obvious are the enormous coordination and harmonization efforts to reify these goals into 169 targets and 232 indicators. We exemplarily outline a tangible pathway to address SDG11 and one associated indicator 11.7.1 “Average share of the built-up area of cities that is open space for public use for all, by sex, age and persons with disabilities”. We highlight some specific problems for reporting on indicators related to urban green spaces (UGS) and make suggestions for this indicator by illustrating the potential of Earth Observation data and spatial accessibility analysis.

Spatial Analysis of Geographic Distribution and Accessibility of Suspected Acute Stroke Patients Transferred to Acute Stroke Centers by Emergency Medical Services in Tehran, Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: We intended to map the geographical distribution of patients with acute stroke who called the Tehran EMS center based on the geographic information of the incident location on a map. The distributions of these centers and patients’ access within a standard period were evaluated. Methods: A cross-sectional study based on the registered data was conducted on suspected acute stroke patients > 18 years of age that were transferred by EMS. The analysis was performed based on pointing the patients’ locations and locating the hospitals in ArcGIS software plus a review of the polygons and focal points. Results: Totally, 1,606 patients suspected to stroke with a mean age of 64.89 ± 17.48 years were evaluated, of whom 947 (58.6%) were male. The mean time of arrival of an ambulance in the patient’s location from the EMS station was 11.94 ± 6.67 minutes, and the longest time was 69.32 minutes. The mean time from the patient’s location to the stroke center was 17.79 ± 11.42 minutes (range 2.4 - 83.70 minutes). Stroke centers in Tehran are not distributed in a balanced manner, and they are concentrated on the central and northern parts of Tehran, limiting access to hospital services. Conclusions: The multiplicity of hospitals in the west and center of Tehran led to an increase in access times in eastern Tehran. It emphasizes the necessity of revision of service locating, especially because the east of Tehran has a denser texture than the west.

Walking accessibility to neighbourhood open space in a multi-level urban environment of Hong Kong

This study presents the spatial analysis of walking accessibility to a public facility in a hilly, multi-level urban environment. Our spatial database includes street topography, physical impedances, formal crossings, and designated access points in assessing the network distance of all private residential buildings to public open space in Hong Kong. Pedestrian movement of uneven speed on walkways of varying gradients is assessed. The study concludes that, compared with our method, conventional buffer analysis and network distance analysis over-estimate the walking accessibility of private housing to neighbourhood open space in Hong Kong by about 2–8%. Despite Hong Kong’s compact built environment, about 15% of the total number of residential blocks cannot reach a neighbourhood open space within 5 minutes of walking (equivalent to the local planning standard of 400 metres of walking on a flat terrain). These open space-deficient neighbourhoods comprise mostly the affluent or middle-class households in gated housing estates and in low-rise housing, but also some neighbourhoods of underprivileged families in old urban tenement buildings. Our assessment reveals the spatial bias of land use planning policy leading to these blackspots of open space shortfall in the territory. It requires urban planners to pay attention to the geographical barriers of a pedestrian network in redressing the inequitable distribution and achieving a pedestrian-friendly 3D city.

Spatial accessibility analysis of schools using geospatial techniques

The main objective of the present study is to enhance the accessibility facilities for local public to educational centers in Tiruchirappalli City. For this approach, the existing K-12 schools, Census tracts and road network were spatially plotted using the techniques of geospatial system. Spatial accessibility index is computed using Three-step floating catchment area (3SFCA) method. The findings indicate (39%) of catchment area has been shortage of education facilities. The index of 3SFCA and its spatial pattern has been compared, validated using enhanced two-step floating catchment area (E2SFCA) method. The incorporated Gaussian weight of 3SFCA clearly reduces the high estimate of demand problem of the study area. Through 3SFCA and E2SFCA, the number of wards observed to be shortage is 14 and 26 respectively. Overall, the analysis concludes that 3SFCA is an effective method in spatial planning of educational facilities. In future, this study enables the urban planners and decision makers to maximize spatial accessibility by establishing a new facility and improve the existing facilities in shortage region.

An Empirical Spatial Accessibility Analysis of Qingdao City Based on Multisource Data

Accessibility could reflect people’s travel convenience, cities’ livability and sustainability, and reduce the negative impacts on the environment and safety. It is therefore a key concept in city sustainable development policies across the world. Based on the multi-source data, this paper tries to have an empirical analysis on the urban accessibility of Qingdao city from the angles of spatial linkage strength, job-hosting ratio and distributions of large-scale hospitals and schools. The multisource data includes navigation data, location based service (LBS) data, Point of Interest (POI) data and the census data. The inter-city linkage strength and internal-external linkage strength are used to evaluate the spatial linkages of the urban agglomeration. Results show that the spatial connectivity and public facilities have a very strong positive correlation with the inter-city accessibility. Meanwhile, providing transport infrastructure and services could greatly strengthen the accessibility between two areas. Job-housing ratio is used to analyze the distribution of residents and jobs. Results show that the job-housing ratio declines gradually from the central urban areas to the surrounding areas. Distributions of large-scale hospitals and schools are used to estimate the service capacity of public facilities. Results show that public service facilities are mainly concentrated in the developed areas. On the contrary, the other areas developed slowly due to lack of supporting service facilities.

Spatial Analysis of Access and Transfer of Emergency (Asthma) Patients to Medical Centers on District 3 of Tehran, Iran

Spatial Analysis of Access and Transfer of Emergency (Asthma) Patients to Medical Centers on District 3 of Tehran, Iran

Evaluation of the Fairness of Urban Lakes' Distribution Based on Spatialization of Population Data: A Case Study of Wuhan Urban Development Zone.

Lake reclamation for urban construction has caused serious damage to lakes in cities undergoing rapid urbanization. This process affects urban ecological environment and leads to inconsistent urban expansion, population surge, and uneven distribution of urban lakes. This study measured the fairness of urban lakes’ distribution and explored the spatial matching relationship between service supply and user group demand. The interpretation and analysis of Wuhan’s remote sensing images, population, administrative area, traffic network, and other data in 2018 were used as the basis. Specifically, the spatial distribution pattern and fairness of lakes’ distribution in Wuhan urban development zone were investigated. This study establishes a geographic weighted regression (GWR) model of land cover types and population data based on a spatialization method of population data based on land use, and uses population spatial data and network accessibility analysis results to evaluate lake service levels in the study area. Macroscopically, the correlation analysis of sequence variables and Gini coefficient analysis method are used to measure the fairness of the Wuhan lake distribution problem and equilibrium degree, and the location entropy analysis is used to quantitatively analyze the fairness of lakes and Wuhan streets from the perspective of supply and demand location entropy. Levels improve the accuracy of the research. Results showed that (1) the area covered by lakes in Wuhan urban development zone is 1007.96 km2 within 60-min of walking, accounting for 30.6% of the total area of the study area. This area can house 5,050,275 people, accounting for 60.8% of Wuhan’s total population. (2) The lakes in the central city area are less fair than the lakes outside the Third Ring Road. (3) The service level of North Lake is the highest among all the lakes in the study area, and that of Hou Lake is the lowest. (4) The spatial layout of the fairness of the lakes’ distribution is roughly distributed in circles. The fairness level collapses toward the city center, indicating that the closer to the city center, the lower the fairness level.

The Comparison Between The Uses of Branchless Banking in Urban and Rural Areas: Geographical Perspective

Branchless Banking is an ICT-based service provided by banks through the provision of agents. The agents are spread in several locations, both in urban and rural areas. This paper is part of a study on The Perceptions of Space and Locations of Urban and Rural Communities: Implications for the Development of Branchless Banking. However, this paper only focuses on how community makes use of branchless banking by comparing its conditions in urban and rural areas and its relations to the field of geography. The area studied in this research are Kulon Progo Regency and Yogyakarta Municipality that located in Yogyakarta Special Province, Indonesia. The method used in this research is quantitative method. The data are collected by structured interview especially to the agent and customers of branchless banking. The agents and customers of branchless banking coordinate locations used as input for spatial density analysis. The other geographic perspective is accessibility analysis using cost distance, this analysis developed from combining Euclidean distance of road and settlement, and slope. The result shows that the use of branchless banking is based on the factor of location that is closer to where they live and how easy the access is. In addition, there are also convenience factors, such as unlimited time for services and familiarity in accessing. Regarding the reasons for the utilization of Branchless Banking in Rural and Urban is almost the same, but for the city of Yogyakarta, the location factor plays a role, while in Kulon Progo the comfort factor is also a consideration. In both urban and rural areas, branchless banking agents are mostly located in residential area. Agents are highly used in the location that is far away from economic services, especially banks. It also shows the same pattern if evidenced by spatial density and accessibility analysis. The perception of societies related to the distance qualitatively has similarities with the results of spatial analysis of density and accessibility. The presence of ICT in banking services in the form branchless banking through an agent can add the concept of banking service development that is not always in the city center, but it can also be rural areas.

Accessibility analysis in evaluating exposure risk to an ecosystem disservice

Ecosystem services are fundamental to the well-being and health of people. Despite the growing awareness of the positive impacts of ecosystem services on human health, researchers have often ignored many ecosystem functions that are disadvantageous to humans. These negative facets of ecosystems are called ecosystem disservices. The central focus of this study was to test the applicability of Geographic Information Systems-based spatial accessibility analysis in mapping the potential risk of ecosystem disservice at a national scale. We used tick exposure as an example of a disservice. Worldwide, ticks (genus Ixodes) are the primary vectors of several dangerous diseases which pose threats to people. As the probability of encountering infectious ticks has increased during the last decades, new spatial information on high-risk tick exposure areas are needed. To evaluate exposure risk, we developed a tick probability map based on tick observations and environmental variables in Finland. First, we analyzed what kind of threat ticks pose to populations in residential areas and around free-time residences. Second, we studied if the movement of people (here school children) in the everyday environment increased tick exposure risk. We calculated the shortest school route for all children by using spatial accessibility analysis. Our results showed that taking the movement of people into consideration through the accessibility analysis, we can get a more realistic picture of tick exposure risk. Further, we gained a better overview of the number of children at higher exposure risk. This kind of information is crucial for pre-assessment and identification of public health strategies for control and minimizing tick-borne diseases. In general, the accessibility approach provided a good overview of areas where the greatest tick exposure was present and produced valuable information to support decision-making. The method enabled new insights into the assessment of exposure to ecosystem disservices.

Measuring differential access to facilities between population groups using spatial Lorenz curves and related indices

AbstractAccess to certain types of facilities can promote health and well‐being. When population and facilities are not uniformly distributed across the landscape, inequities in accessibility may occur. Current research into GIS‐based accessibility measures has focused primarily on spatial inequities between different geographic locations but not directly on differences in accessibility between subgroups of the population. The research presented here develops a new method for measuring differential accessibility to facilities between various segments of the population. The method extends concepts and techniques in spatial point pattern analysis that account for the spatial structure of demand and its relationship to supply. In this approach, the traditional Lorenz curve and its associated indices, the Gini coefficient and the dissimilarity index, which are used to measure inequality, are recast in spatial terms for measuring differences in accessibility between population subgroups. An analysis of spatial accessibility to grocery stores in Akron, OH illustrates the value of the spatial Lorenz curve and its associated indices compared to other methods.

261 Identifying Barriers to Emergency Department-Initiated Buprenorphine: A Spatial Analysis of Treatment Program Access in Michigan

Emergency department (ED)-initiated medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with buprenorphine/naloxone has been shown to improve treatment retention and reduce illicit opioid use, however, its potential may be limited by a lack of accessible community-based programs. This study compared one state’s geographic distribution of EDs to outpatient treatment facilities that prescribe buprenorphine, and identified emergency department and county-level factors associated with buprenorphine program access. Treatment facility data was obtained from the SAMHSA 2018 National Directory of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Facilities, and Michigan emergency department data was obtained from the state chapter of the American College of Emergency Physician’s 2018 ED directory. Opioid prescribing, opioid overdose, and opioid-related hospitalization statistics were obtained from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) 2017 data set. Sociodemographic data were acquired from the U.S. Census Bureau. Geospatial analysis compared EDs to buprenorphine treatment facilities using 5 and 10 mile radii. Among 131 non-exclusively pediatric emergency departments in Michigan, 57 (43.5%) had a buprenorphine-prescribing treatment facility within 5 miles, and 66 (50.4%) had a facility within 10 miles; of the latter, 61 (92.4%) took Medicaid, and 59 of 61 (96.7%) offered outpatient services. EDs within 10 miles of a Medicaid-accepting, outpatient buprenorphine treatment facility had higher average numbers of beds (41 vs. 15; p<0.0001) and annual patient volumes (58,616 vs. 17,484; p<0.0001) compared to those without. Of Michigan’s 83 counties, 72 (86.7%) were reported to have at least one ED in 2018; 27 (37.5%) of these were in counties with buprenorphine treatment programs. Compared to ED-containing counties with buprenorphine treatment facilities, those counties without such services were more likely to have smaller average populations (82,910 vs. 221,094; p=0.04) and higher proportions of residents with low educational attainment (10.9% vs. 9.0%; p<0.01), but similar proportions of residents with low income (16.8% vs. 16.2%; p=0.56) and unemployment (4.7% vs. 4.9%; p=0.61). ED-containing counties without and with buprenorphine programs had similar rates of opioid prescribing (1.08 vs. 1.01; p=0.21), opioid-related hospitalizations (19.0 vs. 20.8 per 100,000; p=0.53), and opioid overdose deaths (13.5 vs. 17.5 per 100,000; p=0.08). Only half of Michigan’s emergency departments are within 10 miles of an outpatient buprenorphine-prescribing treatment facility, despite similar rates of opioid-related morbidity statewide. Given both the limited access of EDs to buprenorphine treatment facilities (especially in less populous areas), and the ongoing opioid overdose crisis, expanding ED-initiated MAT in states similar to Michigan may require alternative models of care.