Urban spatial structure and equity for urban services through the lens of accessibility

Urban development, equity and sustainability cannot be concluded based on access to one type of urban service. This study goes beyond the usual approach of analysing a single type of urban service and provides a comprehensive overview of accessibility-related equity. A modified accessibility measure is used, which, in addition to travel time impedance, incorporates the aspect of connectivity of services with the transport infrastructure. This study evaluates mode-wise accessibility for jobs, schools, medical care units, hospitals, parks, supermarkets, and restaurants in Greater Mumbai. The spatial association and clustering of threshold-based accessibility are assessed using Global Moran's I. This reveals that the degree of spatial association and clustering is highest at 30 minutes travel time threshold for private mode and 45 mintues for public transport for urban services. The Gini index values indicate that spatial inequity is relatively higher for hospital services accessibility than other services. Social equity is assessed using the average accessibility ratio values for the urban services, which favours regions with moderate car ownership over low, indicating one of the undesirable urban development trends. This study helps understand the urban spatial structure and assesses the spatial and social inequities from the transportation/urban planning perspective. The developed decision framework can aid policymakers in prioritising the suggested measures effectively to address accessibility related inequities for different urban services.