PROGRESS IN GEOGRAPHY ›› 2010, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (10): 1217-1224.doi: 10.11820/dlkxjz.2010.10.009

• Original Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Spatial Accessibility to Public Service Facilities and Its Measurement Approaches

SONG Zhengna1,2, CHENWen2, ZHANG Guixiang3, ZHANG Lei1,2   

  1. 1. Nanjing Institute of Geography &|Limnology, CAS, Nanjing 210008, China;
    2. Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;
    3. Shenzhen Investigation &|Research Institute Co., Ltd., Shenzhen 518026, Guangdong, China
  • Online:2010-10-25 Published:2010-10-25

Abstract:

Spatial accessibility measurement can be applied to assess the rationality of public service facilities distribution, and can be used to compare the merits and drawbacks of related planning schemes. As for spatial accessibility measurement to public service facilities, the primary issue is to select corresponding accessibility evaluation factors according to specific spatial distribution targets of various facilities presumed by facilities features and service demands, and the next is to apply appropriate accessibility measurement approaches according to the evaluation factors and to achieve the accessibility calculation. However, it is unlucky that the present literature on such thematic studies is scarce. On the one hand, we analyze the classification to public service facilities from the perspectives of service urgency, acceptability, quantity (single or various) and hierarchic rank, and then we discuss how to presume spatial distribution targets and select corresponding accessibility evaluation factors of different facilities. On the other hand, we introduce the main measurement approaches including the methods based on supply (provider) versus demand (population), the shortest travel impedance (time or distance), opportunities to be accumulated, and spatial interaction, and furthermore we compare the applications as well as the merits and drawbacks of various approaches, and discuss how to measure spatial accessibility of public service facilities based on potential model and two-step floating catchment area method. Finally, based on the above review and summary, we point out that the following research topics should be devoted more attention to: the spatial accessibility measurement to hierarchical facilities, comprehensive examination of the spatial accessibility measurement from the point of view of demanders activities, integrated spatial accessibility measurement to multiple facilities in the study area, and the integration between complicated measure approaches and GIS.

Key words: measurement approaches, potential model, spatial accessibility, two-step floating catchment area method, public service facilities