This research compares two location-based methods of evaluating public transport accessibility and applies them in Helsinki. After discussing a series of methodological aspects, the authors calculate the Structural Accessibility Layer (SAL) public transport indicator and the Public Transport and Walking Accessibility Index (PTWAI) for a grid with 8,325 zones, comparable in size to the smallest census unit. Both methods are operational for urban planners and policy makers interested in a relatively straightforward way of quantifying the accessibility of sustainable transport modes such as public transport. The results display similar accessibility patterns when moving from larger to smaller isochrones (60 to 38 min). However, the findings are inconclusive between SAL and PTWAI: SAL (38 min) displays good accessibility by public transport (more than 94 % of the population living within two-thirds of the metropolitan area has very high and high access to public transport), but PTWAI indicates that 35 % of the population, primarily households with children (43 %), experience low and very low access. The contrasting results are mainly due to the derivation of the two indicators and have considerable implications for policy making. The findings of this research imply that PTWAI is preferable to planning assessments regarding public transport, given its relatively richer content. However, for multi-mode-based accessibility categorization, SAL appears more appropriate. It is the analyst's role to understand the objective and contents of each index and choose the tool fit for their purpose. Then, a judgement should be made on the trade-off between the Appl. Spatial Analysis (2017)
The current paper analysis the differences in accessibility categories at the household level and by lifecycle changes by using the Structural Accessibility Layer. Results are evaluated from spatial, numerical and qualitative perspectives. Main findings show differences in residential preference by a single-person household, couple without children and households with children for different potential accessibility categories. This paper provides evidence that external factors influence the population to move from public transport into car-based mobility. Finally, we observe areas categorized as suitable for both walking and public transport mobility presenting low population density and residential development of those areas is suggested.JEL classification: R2, R22, R58
HIGHLIGHTS-SAL has proven, besides its limitations, a suitable accessibility measure for local urban and transportation planners.-There are significant differences in potential accessibility between different age group residents in the Helsinki Capital Region.-Children between 0 and 7 years old and students are the age group with worst quality access to their targeted services.-Further research including the frequency of use of services is necessary for a fully evaluation of the uneven accessibility in the area.
Homebuyers are usually interested in both the accessibility of services and the quality of the local environment, and real estate agents frequently offer some web-based systems for home searches. There is however hardly any information about the quality of local living environment in those web-based systems. The purpose of this study was to develop a method for homebuyers, adaptable to the environmental variables of interest to homebuyers when selecting a home location. In this paper, a multicriteria spatial analysis method is proposed and demonstrated for the homebuyers' selection process, using data from the City of Kuopio, Finland. Several spatial variables are applied, including environmental and service factors in the home searching process. A geographical information system (GIS) is used for creating maps for decision variables and mapping suitable areas. The method for ranking alternative dwellings is based on the difference between levels of the decision variables for each dwelling and the target levels given by the user. The method presented in this paper is adaptable to other geographical and social contexts. This decision analysis tool will be useful for both customers and real estate agents, and can also be used for city planning as a participatory-GIS (P-GIS) tool. It introduces new possibilities in the home selection process. The availability of spatial data on the living environment in the webbased services for homebuyers is likely to have effects on customers' requirements and house markets, and also promote better spatial city organization in the long run.
In Europe, the amalgamation of local authorities is currently used to optimize public resources. Although amalgamation involves several advantages, it needs to fulfil three conditions to be considered successful. First, address local preferences and needs; second, be fair, transparent and accessible to citizens; and third, be a compromise between central and local political elites. In the current paper the fulfilling of these three conditions is analysed using the comprehensive, bottom-up, Finnish reform introduced during the period of 2008-2013. The findings conclude that while the Finnish local reform plan has been successful in reaching a compromise between local and central governments, it has failed insofar as it has not fulfilled the condition of making the process fair, transparent and accessible to citizens. Furthermore, whether the amalgamation has allowed local government to address citizens' preferences and needs in a meaningful and responsive way has yet to be demonstrated.
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