The evaluation of social and spatial effects of how accessibility is distributed between individuals is key to studying equity issues in transportation. However, the establishment of minimum accessibility requirements and the identification of accessibility thresholds for population groups remain as key methodological barriers. This paper contributes to addressing these shortcomings by using Retail Mobility Environments as an analytical and geographical concept to identify advantageous and disadvantageous non-motorised accessibility to retail for different population groups. The city of Zaragoza, Spain provides the spatial laboratory for experimentation, and the study focuses on four target groups: the young employed, the young unemployed, seniors, and adults. The results reveal social and spatial inequalities in the distribution of non-motorised accessibility in Zaragoza, with marked negative effects on the young unemployed and adults. On the other hand, seniors and the young employed are the groups that benefit from the current setup. It is finally discussed on the capacity of the proposed methodology for exploring both social and spatial inequalities, for establishing minimum accessibility requirements, and for identifying accessibility thresholds according to different population groups. Furthermore, the convenience of linking equity issues to non-motorised accessibility is also highlighted.
Despite the growing development of tools that can integrate land use and transport, the desired integration is still illusive in daily practice. To address this gap, the current study uses spatial metrics, a set of methods traditionally used for studying changes in the spatial structure of landscapes, which are translated into the domain of transport planning. It examines how spatial metrics can be integrated into "Land Use Transport" strategy-making, and how useful they are according to the practitioners' perceptions. A Light Rail Transit corridor in Granada (Spain) provides the empirical focus of this research. Land use characteristics such as: land use mixing, land use diversity and green areas connectivity were successfully studied using spatial metrics, and they were used to map three "Land Use Transport" strategies: (i) proximity dynamics and non-motorised modes; (ii) modal shift from cars to Light Rail Transit system; (iii) shared spaces between motorised and nonmotorised modes. Practitioners perceived that spatial metrics could improve the "Land Use Transport" strategy-making process in comparison with traditional methods used in practice. However, certain shortcomings related to the usability of spatial metrics are also highlighted and discussed. This study concludes with a reflection on research challenges for adapting spatial metrics to transport practice.
While adequate integration of land use and transport is seen as crucial for achieving sustainable outcomes, the reciprocal interconnection between retail activity and non-motorised accessibility is yet to be adequately examined. To address this gap, this paper proposes the concept of Retail Mobility Environment (RME) and develops a methodological process for identifying and mapping RMEs, using the city of Zaragoza, Spain, as a case study. The concept of RME is developed through three methodological phases: (i) definition of non-motorised Accessibility Zones (AZs), using three indicators (walking accessibility, bicycling accessibility, betweenness); (ii) definition of Retail Zones (RZs), also using three indicators (retail density, retail diversity, retail contiguity); and (iii) definition of RMEs, where both retail activity and non-motorised indicators were weighted and combined using multi-criteria analysis. In total, four RMEs were identified and mapped: short-distance environments, motorised environments , non-motorised environments, and long-distance environments. The paper concludes with a discussion on the need to unravel the relationships between retail activity and non-motorised accessibility, in order to reach sustainable planning goals, as well as the potential usefulness of RMEs for transport policy-making.
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