Disadvantaged Locations Research Articles

Exploring Differences Between Daily Activity Spaces and Access to Urban Resources in Suburban Affordable Housing Based on the Different Income Groups: A Case of Nanjing, China

Most of the affordable housing communities are built in disadvantaged locations (e.g., the suburbs of Chinese cities) and are generally considered to be the main space for middle- and low-income groups to live in. After decades of development, with the relocation of residents, housing sales and the implementation of mixed housing policies in some countries, there is a common phenomenon of mixed living among different groups in many affordable housing communities. Existing studies have explored the differences and social inequities between affordable housing communities and other types of neighborhoods, but little attention has been paid to the differentiation of residents’ daily activities and the unfair access to resources within affordable housing communities. Understanding this difference is crucial to sustainable community development and the delicate management of cities. From a personal-based perspective, this study examines the sociospatial differentiation of different income groups in the community from two aspects: the multidimensional characteristics of the individual activity space and the availability of different types of urban space. The results highlight significant differences in the activity spaces of different income groups across four dimensions: extensity, intensity, diversity, and exclusivity. Low-income suburban residents have fewer opportunities to access inner-city and inner-suburban areas compared to their non-low-income counterparts. They are more constrained to the outer suburbs. Regression models show that income is a key factor influencing how outer-suburb residents use urban spaces. Other factors, such as one’s employment status, family structure, education level, and the built environment, also play an important role in shaping access to different urban resources. This study highlights the impact of income on social isolation within Chinese urban affordable housing communities. It provides nuanced insights that can inform future policy recommendations in a broader urban context.

Informal Settlement Characterization and Socio-Economic Vulnerability Assessment in Kolkata Metropolitan City, India

The study investigates the physical, social, and economic environment of the Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA) to elucidate the living conditions of informal settlements and its influence on the local environment using geoinformatics and multi-criteria decision making-analytical hierarchical process (MCDM-AHP). The informal settlements were delineated using high-resolution Google Earth imagery and generic ontology informal settlements. knowledge considering building characteristics, building density, locations of the dwelling units, and their characteristics. The study exhibits that most informal settlements were concentrated in the wards located in the eastern and central parts of the city. The neighborhood land-use functions of the major informal settlements indicated that the informal settlements were highly influenced by green space (R2=0.97), followed by water bodies (R2=0.74), unplanned settlement (R2=0.68) and planned settlement (R2=0.67) in KMA. In addition, the informal settlements were closely associated with very low relief zones (3m to 13m) followed by moderate relief zones (13-23m). The municipal ward-level analysis of the physical-socio-economic health conditions exhibited that most of the areas located in the low vulnerable zones (53.71 km2; primarily in southern, and eastern periphery), followed by very highly vulnerable zones (43.09 km2; primarily in central and northern parts). The study provides an insight into urban areas with special reference to informal settlements and necessitates the implication of effective policy for poverty alleviation. This study encourages the availability of real-time data that can improve mitigation activities in the event of a health disaster, such as SARS COVID-19 through methods for qualitative investigation of disadvantaged locations in Kolkata.

Swedish Erasmus students' valuations of study destinations: how countries, cities, and institutions relate to choices and experiences

ABSTRACT Based on a survey of Swedish participants in the Erasmus+ exchange programme from the 2014 and 2015 application years, our study uses specific Multiple Correspondence Analysis to explore students’ valuations of their study destinations across different scales – country, city, and institution. Our findings indicate that places were valued based on three types of logic – academic, cultural, and labour market – where each type of logic emphasised each scale differently. First, the choice of the receiving institution relates to the country of destination. Students who primarily valued culture, language, and geographical location were overrepresented in Mediterranean countries, while students who emphasised the quality, reputation, and learning offer of the receiving institution were overrepresented in the Nordic countries. Second, the city matters in that students clearly preferred institutions in lively metropolises, which had a clear advantage over other mid-sized or smaller cities. Thirdly, the higher education institutions themselves play a role in study abroad choices. If the institutions are prestigious and high-ranked, this can outweigh a disadvantageous location. These types of logic tend to overlap so that the most dominant and sought-after countries are more likely to have highly attractive cities and metropolitan regions where highly ranked higher education institutions are often also found.

Healthiness of food products promoted through placement strategies in Australian online supermarkets: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundProminent product placement is a core promotional tactic in retail food environments. How this practice has been adapted for online supermarkets, and the extent to which it is applied to healthier and less healthy food products in this setting, is largely unknown. We aimed to investigate placement-type promotions of food products in Australian online supermarkets.MethodsWe developed a new method to assess placement promotions and applied it to the online stores of the two largest supermarket retailers in Australia. Each online store was audited across six ‘locations’ (input prior to data collection), including a randomly selected high socio-economic position area and low socio-economic position area from each of the three largest Australian cities. The names, page locations and type of placement strategy of promoted food products were captured, with product healthiness assessed using the Health Star Rating (HSR) nutrient profiling system. Descriptive statistics summarised the page locations of promoted products and the placement strategies used to promote them, and chi-squared tests applied to compare product healthiness by retailer and socio-economic position.ResultsWe recorded 12,152 food products promoted through placement strategies, 99% of which were eligible for a HSR. Overall, 44% of products promoted through placement strategies were unhealthy. Cross-promotions and recommendations was the most common strategy recorded overall (55.9% of all strategies), and advertisements and site content was the strategy most likely to promote unhealthy products (53.7% of products unhealthy). One retailer was more likely to promote unhealthy products (46% v 43%, p = 0.004) and unhealthy products were more likely to be promoted in more disadvantaged than less disadvantaged locations (45% vs 43%, p = 0.05), though the magnitudes of difference were small.ConclusionsA considerable number of unhealthy products are likely presented to online grocery shoppers in Australia. Public health policies targeting unhealthy food promotions may need to be updated, including with consideration of the different ways that products can be prominently displayed online, to avoid exacerbating risks of diet-related disease and health inequalities. Our novel methodology could be used for ongoing monitoring of online supermarkets in Australia and elsewhere to inform such policies.

Improved thermal stabilization of VSV-vector with enhanced vacuum drying in pullulan and trehalose-based films

One major limitation of effective vaccine delivery is its dependency on a robust cold chain infrastructure. While Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) has been demonstrated to be an effective viral vaccine vector for diseases including Ebola, its −70 °C storage requirement is a significant limitation for accessing disadvantaged locations and populations. Previous work has shown thermal stabilization of viral vaccines with a combination of pullulan and trehalose (PT) dried films. To improve the thermal stability of VSV, we optimized PT formulation concentrations and components, as well as drying methodology with enhanced vacuum drying. When formulated in PT films, VSV can be stored for 32 weeks at 4 °C with less than 2 log PFU loss, at 25 °C with 2.5 log PFU loss, and at 37 °C with 3.1 log PFU loss. These results demonstrate a significant advancement in VSV thermal stabilization, decreasing the cold chain requirements for VSV vectored vaccines.

Therapy deserts: A call to action to address inequitable access to therapy services among pediatric orthopaedic patients

Background"Food deserts" are areas with limited access to affordable and healthy foods, disproportionately affecting low-income and ethnic minority communities in the United States. Analogous disparities exist in other disciplines. Our interprofessional team observed "therapy deserts” in orthopaedic and rehabilitation settings, wherein pediatric patients (particularly those with Medicaid-type insurance) appeared to lack equal access to physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), and speech-language pathology (SLP) services. Inadequate access to therapy services places patients at risk for worse outcomes. MethodsWe conducted a quality improvement project to assess pediatric patients’ access to therapy care in our region. We surveyed all local PT, OT, and SLP clinics identified from a comprehensive listserv maintained by pediatric therapy teams in our institution. Using a scripted questionnaire, we contacted 113 PT, 38 OT, and 82 SLP clinics external to our institution, collecting data on accepted conditions, appointment waitlist periods, and accepted insurance types. Our primary objective was to determine the percentage of clinics that accepted patients with Medicaid-type insurance. We supplemented our survey with an examination of the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) for each clinic location. Results59 PT clinics (52%), 15 OT clinics (39%), and 36 SLP clinics (44%) completed the survey. Clinics often had limited capacity to care for medically complex conditions. Waitlist times varied, with a median wait of 1 week for PT services, 1 month for OT services, and immediate availability for SLP services. Only 14% of responding PT clinics, 53% of OT clinics, and 22% of SLP clinics accepted patients with Medicaid-type insurance. Insufficient reimbursement rates were frequently cited as the reason for not accepting Medicaid-type insurance. Waitlist times were longer for PT and SLP clinics that accepted Medicaid-type insurance compared to those that did not. Moreover, clinics that accepted Medicaid-type insurance were, on average, in more disadvantaged locations. ConclusionsOur findings suggest the existence of “therapy deserts,” where limited access to therapy services is influenced by insurance type and patient complexity. These restrictions likely exacerbate existing health disparities and illustrate a systemic problem rooted in complex social drivers of health. Addressing "therapy deserts" requires collaborative efforts from multidisciplinary teams. Level of EvidenceLevel III

Differences in rehabilitation evaluation access for rural and socially disadvantaged stroke survivors

ABSTRACT Background Most stroke survivors have ongoing deficits and report unmet needs. Despite evidence that rehabilitation improves stroke survivors’ function, access to occupational and physical therapy is limited. Describing access to care for disadvantaged communities for different levels of stroke severity will provide proportions used to create Markov economic models to demonstrate the value of rehabilitation. Objectives The objective of this study was to explore differences in the frequency of rehabilitation evaluations via outpatient therapy and home health for Medicare Part B ischemic stroke survivors in rural and socially disadvantaged locations. Methods We completed a retrospective, descriptive cohort analysis using the 2018 and 2019 5% Medicare Limited Data Sets (LDS) from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services using STROBE guidelines for observational studies. We extracted rehabilitation Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for those who received occupational or physical therapy to examine differences in therapy evaluations for rural and socially disadvantaged populations. Results Of the 9,076 stroke survivors in this cohort, 44.2% did not receive any home health or outpatient therapy. Of these, 64.7% had a moderate or severe stroke, indicating an unmet need for therapy. Only 2.0% of stroke survivors received outpatient occupational therapy within the first year Rural and socially disadvantaged communities accessed rehabilitation evaluations at lower rates than general stroke survivors. Conclusions These findings describe the poor access to home health and outpatient rehabilitation for stroke survivors, particularly in traditionally underserved populations. These results will influence future economic evaluations of interventions aimed at improving access to care.

A “Gendered Analysis” into the Latent Cultural and Social Determinants of Undernutrition and Malnutrition: A Study in Purulia District of West Bengal

While the issue of malnutrition, it is fully established, has a robust biomedical base, which calls forth action that intervenes at the nutritional (intake) level, experiences on field, backed by research underscore the structural determinants of malnutrition. Latent cultural and social forces which are less visible but nevertheless obdurate may also push people towards the condition of undernutrition, particularly intergenerational undernutrition, as these find expression in gendered food ideologies handed down effortlessly, in the ‘doing of family’ and kinship. These gendered food ideologies provide cultural sanction to existing dietary practices of young girls, pregnant women, lactating mothers and infants through preferences, prescriptions, proscriptions and food aversions, that may position women in a structurally disadvantageous location, with grave ramifications for them and their children. The period of pregnancy and lactation for the mother, and the first two years of the child’s life have been found to be a special nutritional challenge, with localized cultural perceptions often leading to inappropriate eating practices on account of biases and culturally entrenched belief systems. Food has social meanings and deep association with questions of identity such as caste, community, gender, age. Any nutritional intervention must therefore take into account not only local narratives built around food and the ‘substance,’ but the structural position and power dynamics of those who consume it.

Sociodemographic, temporal and bedtime routine correlates of sleep timing and duration in South Asian and white children: A Born in Bradford study

ObjectiveThe study aimed to examine sociodemographic, temporal and bedtime routine correlates of parent-reported sleep duration and timing in a biethnic sample of 18 month and 36 month old children from a disadvantaged location. MethodsBetween October 2010 and September 2012, parents completed a bespoke three day sleep diary when their child was approximately 18 months (n = 276) and 36 months of age (n = 262) (45.1% South Asian; 54.9% white). Parents reported their child's overnight sleep duration (h/day), the time their child fell asleep, their wake time and their child's bedtime and napping routines. Data were available at both time points for 135 children. ResultsIn line with previous literature, South Asian children had shorter overnight sleep duration and later sleep and wake times than white children. In both ethnic groups, children slept and woke up later on weekends, and children went to bed earlier and slept longer in winter. In white children only, napping duration was associated with overnight sleep period. No significant associations were found between napping frequency and overnight sleep duration. Based on parent-reported data, children who consistently adhered to regular bedtimes and had set times for sleeping tended to go to sleep earlier, wake earlier and have longer overnight sleep. ConclusionsThe data showed parent-reported variation in sleep patterns between two ethnic groups within a single geographical and deprived area. It is important that researchers, clinicians and early years workers are considerate of cultural norms in sleep practices.

The Evolution, Formation and Development of Namatala Slum of Mbale Municipality, Uganda

Namatala, is the largest slum in the industrial division of Mbale Municipality in Eastern Uganda, having depicted the strongest patterns of urban infill and sprawl between 2003 and 2013. The aim of this paper is to assess the evolution, formation, and development of Namatala slum drawing attention to the various challenges in the slum area in order to develop a place-centered approach for considering sustainable development solutions. The study targeted households in the slum area collecting data through observation, survey questionnaires, key stakeholder interviews, and focus group discussions. It was found that Namatala is a significantly disadvantaged location; wrought with poverty, inadequate social amenities, poor housing, lack of solid waste management, lack of essential infrastructure, and inadequate access to clean water, safe sanitation facilities, and security of tenure. This problem is largely attributable to lack of place-specific policy implementation of the national policies and guidelines inappropriate regulation, dysfunctional land markets, unresponsive financial systems, and a fundamental lack of political will. More so, there is absence of the means for public engagement.

Place Centered Social-Economic, Cultural and Environmental Influence in the Making of Namatala Slums in Mbale Municipality, Uganda

The increase in the levels of urbanization and congestion in cities like Mbale can be attributed to the lack of proper policies and planning to regulating or managing the socio-economic and environmental factors that otherwise exacerbate occurrence of slums. In this paper focus is drawn on these factors which are thought to have largely influenced formation of Namatala slum in Mbale Municipality. While this slum exhibits the challenges presented by typical most African slums, this study argues that linkages between the social, economic, environmental, and cultural dimensions of Namatala slum formed the basis of understanding the challenges particular to its populace. The study used mixed methods research design that entailed collection of data through household survey questionnaires, key stakeholder interviews and focus group discussions. The study established that Namatala is a significantly disadvantaged location, wrought with poverty, inadequate social amenities, poor housing, lack of solid waste management, lack of essential infrastructure, and inadequate access to clean water, safe sanitation facilities and security of tenure. This problem can be attributed to a lack of place-specific policy implementation of the national policies and guidelines as well as lack of intervention by the government, inappropriate regulation, dysfunctional land markets, unresponsive financial systems, and a fundamental lack of political will.

Educational Inequality and the Poverty Trap in Teacher Recruitment

The regional concentration of poverty and the resulting disparities in living conditions create conditions where educational inequalities are intensified. These adverse conditions could lead teachers to refuse to work in disadvantaged locations that are characterised by high incidences of poverty and low-performing students. In this paper, we estimate how poverty in the districts where the schools are situated influences the probability that teachers accept a job offer in Costa Rica. Working with data on contract offers acceptance or rejection is a methodological novelty that makes it possible to dissociate students’ poverty from the poverty of the schools’ location. The estimation of a three‐level hierarchical model allows us to deal with aggregation bias and unobserved heterogeneity. The results show evidence that district poverty is a key determinant of teachers’ rejection of offers. Although the study uses data from Costa Rica, the results indicate more generally, how educational inequity can perpetuate poverty.

Numerical simulation of the pedestrian comfort of the microdistrict

This article is concerned with the questions of assessment of microdistrict pedestrian comfort associated with wind influences. The application of the generic methodology developed by the authors for assessing the wind influences in respect of the assigned task is presented. Researched are the questions of pedestrian comfort assessment in a microdistrict that has been already built with heightened comfort requirements (this is the concept “Yard without Cars”) and originally disadvantageous location in terms of aerodynamics which heavily reduces the possibilities of comfort compensation by modifying the microdistrict layout during the design phase. A 3D computer model of the facility is built. The numerical simulation is carried out using the ANSYS software. The numerical grid parameters, boundary commissions, and computation technology are set out. The streamlines for various wind directions are obtained. For a pedestrian comfort assessment, the stream velocity modulus distributions are analyzed in relation to the flow field. Using the Qcrit parameter distribution, the stream velocity distribution may be obtained at any values of wind velocity. On the basis of the obtained results, the pedestrian comfort of the space in the territory of a residential complex was researched at any wind direction.

Vision screening outcomes of 4-5 year-olds reflect the social gradient

ABSTRACT Clinical relevance Children in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities often do not access follow-up eye care services when referred from vision screenings; whether this is due to lack of availability is not known. This paper highlights the need for vision and eye care for vulnerable children with practicing clinical optometrists well placed to provide vision care. Background Vision impairments develop from a young age and may inhibit learning experiences and impact life outcomes. Vision screening to detect and refer vision abnormalities supports children in their education and prevents minor vision impairments from worsening. This research describes outcomes from a vision screening programme for 4– to 5-year-olds delivered in Queensland, Australia. Methods The programme involved all prep children from participating schools in Queensland. Vision screening was conducted with the Parr 4 m Visual Acuity Test and Welch Allyn Spot Vision Screener. A cross-sectional study design was adopted. Descriptive data analyses explored the frequency of vision screening and referral outcomes. Inferential analyses examined associations between vision screening and referral outcomes with socio-economic indexes for areas (SEIFA) scores . Results Of 71,003 prep students screened, 4,855 (6.8%) received a referral recommendation. A higher proportion of children who received a referral recommendation was from more disadvantaged locations (?2 = 109.16, p < 0.001). Of the students referred, 3,017 were seen by an eye health professional. Further vision assessment of students by an eye health professional revealed that 43.3% of the referred children were diagnosed with a vision abnormality, 18.9% had no vision abnormality and 37.7% had an ‘undetermined’ diagnosis. A higher proportion of children confirmed with a vision abnormality were from more disadvantaged locations (?2 = 52.27, p < 0.001). Conclusion It is important that vision screening programmes target disadvantaged populations and support families of children who require further health assessment to access health services.

The Effect of Neighborhood Deprivation on Mortality in Newly Diagnosed Diabetes Patients: A Countrywide Population-Based Korean Retrospective Cohort Study, 2002-2013.

Background: Neighborhood environmental factors along with individual factors are beginning to make a mark as factors which influence individual health outcomes. The goal of this study is to look at the combined impact of individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status on all-cause mortality in diabetic patients who have just been diagnosed. Methods: The Korean National Health Insurance (2002–2013) was employed in this cohort research, which used a stratified random sample. During the years 2003–2006, a total of 15,882 individuals who were newly diagnosed with diabetes and using oral disease-controlling medication were included in the study. Individual income and neighborhood deprivation index were used to examine the combined effect on all-cause mortality. The frailty model was performed using Cox’s proportional hazard regression. Results: During the study period, 28.3 percent (n = 4493) of the 15,882 eligible individuals died. In a Cox regression analysis after adjusting for all covariates, with advantaged and disadvantaged neighborhoods classified according to individual household income, the adjusted HR for patients living in a disadvantaged area was higher compared to patients living in an advantaged area in patients with middle income, compared to the reference group (a high income within an advantaged neighborhood) (HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.09–1.35; HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.02–1.25, respectively). The adjusted HR for patients with low income who lived in a disadvantaged location was greater than for patients who lived in an advantaged area (HR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.18–1.53 vs. HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.14–1.49). Conclusions: Individual SES has a greater impact on all-cause mortality among diabetic patients when they live in a low-income neighborhood.

How can spatial planning influence housing market dynamics in a pro-growth planning regime? A case study of Shanghai

Against a global backdrop of growing concerns on housing crises, Chinese megacities have earned unwelcome distinction as among the world’s least affordable real estate. In the West, the alleged ‘over-restrictiveness’ of land-use planning has formed a focus of contestation on factors contributing to unduly expensive housing. In the Chinese context, however, it is unclear how spatial planning – arguably far more positively enabling of urban development and expansion – may have shaped housing market dynamics through its influence on city form. The concept of city form, as used here relates to three aspects, centricity, accessibility and development intensity (density). Focusing on Shanghai, the paper investigates city form impacts on residential property markets and explores the logic of plan-making that feeds into city form outcomes. We draw on a mixed-methods approach, including hedonic house price modelling, as well as qualitative interview and official document review. Analytical outcomes confirm the significant impact of city form on property values. However, planning rationales contributing to the outcome are problematic. Local plans are reinforcing Shanghai’s mono-centric structure and having little impact in counteracting the residential attractiveness of the inner city when compared with suburban new towns. Moreover, the zoning restrictions of suburban areas are potentially problematic owing to an arguable over-emphasis on preservation of the natural environment. The failure to realise official poly-centricity aspirations and the enlarged gap in house prices between the inner city and suburbs can reinforce socio-spatial sifting and confine low-income people within disadvantaged locations.

Exploring passenger and flight characteristics' impacts on airport retail income: Evidence from Incheon International Airport

This study examines passenger and flight characteristics' impacts on airport retail income using transaction data from Incheon Airport (ICN) duty-free. Two indicators, per-flight expenditure and buyer proportion, were introduced to measure the impacts on retail revenue. This study employed the female passenger ratio per flight and the domestic passenger ratio as passenger characteristics. Flight type (LCC or not), transit passenger proportion, and flight delay were introduced as flight characteristics. Unfavorable departure gates and disadvantageous terminal locations were presented as location characteristics. Based on the multiple regression model, this study analyzed the effect of each factor on airport retail revenue. The research findings provide managerial implications to airport operators. It is financially advantageous to avoid allocating flights with many female passengers to favorable departure gates for accessing retail shops. A high frequency of purchases of Korean passengers does not lead to a significant sales amount because of the regulations. Transit passengers are low-yield customers for airlines and airport operators. Flight delay increases the per-flight expenditure and the buyer percentage to a certain level, while excessive delays can reduce the purchase amount. Also, this study identified that the impact of assigning flights to disadvantageous locations varies depending on the type of flight based on the expansion model using an interaction term. The location has a significant influence on passenger shopping behavior. Since FSC passengers have a solid impulsive buying tendency, airport operators should avoid giving FSCs to unfavorable gates. Although ICN kept operation policies to assign LCC flights to a terminal disadvantageous for shopping, this study presents that the commercial revenue contribution of LCCs is not weaker than FSCs when controlled a terminal location. Therefore, it is necessary to reconsider assigning LCCs to a terminal unfavorable for shopping without evaluating purchasing power.

Associations between food provision and feeding practices in socially disadvantaged childcare centres

Preschool children consume a large proportion of their daily food intake in their childcare settings. These settings, therefore, provide important opportunities for children to experience food socialisation, and related positive nutrition. Yet, the extent to which these opportunities are taken, particularly in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas where risk of poor nutrition is high, is not well documented. This study focused on 10 childcare centres in socially disadvantaged locations and examined daily feeding practices via direct in-situ observation (n = 189 children observed). Centres were randomly selected based on type of food provision: centre-provided (n = 5 centres) or family-provided (n = 5 centres). Analyses showed that where food was family-provided, educators were significantly more likely to use controlling feeding practices, including pressuring children to eat, restricting food choices and rushing children into finishing meals. These practices were particularly evident during mid-morning meals, where pressuring children to eat healthy foods first, was more often observed. Further research and interventions that target feeding practices in childcare are indicated and should consider how source of food provision impacts upon these practices.

Reframing immobility: young women aspiring to ‘good enough’ local futures

ABSTRACT Mobility is high on the agenda in both policy and research and being mobile is a positive descriptor, not least for young people. The downside of the focus and value placed on mobility as the path to success is that ‘immobility’ has clear, negative associations: being immobile equals being ‘stuck’, a ‘failure’ and not being aspirational. In this paper I seek to problematise dominant representations of decisions to stay in regional and rural locations as ‘immobility’ that indicates a lack of aspiration or agency. More specifically, by exploring how the participants in this study negotiate belonging and aspiration in ways that are both classed and gendered, the paper contributes to more nuanced representations of the lives of young people living outside of urban spaces. The paper is based on a qualitative study of the everyday lives and imagined futures of young women with interrupted formal education, focusing on a disadvantaged location in regional Victoria, Australia.

Transit Economic Equity Index: Developing a Comprehensive Measure of Transit Service Equity

In this study an index is developed called the Transit Economic Equity Index, to enable quantitative assessment of transit service equity. The index measures convenience of travel for work trips for advantaged and disadvantaged populations, based on travel speed, using a multimodal network that includes transit lines, stop locations, transit schedules, and pedestrian connections via the street network. Non-peak hour service is compared with peak hour service to determine the degree to which operating resources are concentrated in times that might have greater benefits to advantaged populations. Finally, accessibility to the transit system is compared in relation to the number of transit stops in neighborhoods and employment centers, and these figures are compared between advantaged and disadvantaged locations. The scores for these three components are combined to create a single measure of transit economic equity. Disadvantage is defined using criteria established in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The index is constructed in a way that balances a robust and meaningful measure of transit equity that is decipherable by practitioners so that they can assess the equity of their systems as well as how potential service changes affect equity.