PROGRESS IN GEOGRAPHY ›› 2014, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (8): 1078-1089.doi: 10.11820/dlkxjz.2014.08.008

• Orginal Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Spatial-temporal evolution of Guangzhou subway accessibility and its effects on the accessibility of public transportation services

Xiaoyan HUANG1(), Shuang ZHANG2, Xiaoshu CAO1,3()   

  1. 1. Center for Land Resources Research in Northwest China, Institute of Transport Geography and Spatial Planning, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, China
    2. Urban Space Planning and Architectural Design CO. LTD, Shenzhen 5180493, China
    3. Center for Urban and Regional Studies, Sun Yat-Sun University, Guangzhou 510275, China
  • Online:2014-08-25 Published:2014-08-25

Abstract:

Investigating effects of subway on urban public transportation network and accessibility is important because it contributes to sound planning of subway systems, improving urban public transport service accessibility, and providing possibility for the transformation of individual travel modes. This research uses the theories and methods of accessibility study to explore the relationship between the development of urban rail system and bus services, taking Guangzhou as an example. The study focuses on the status of public transportation system in four years (2000, 2003, 2009 and 2012). Data used in this study cover the stations and networks of buses and subways that come from our digital processing with GIS. Using published maps and Internet data as sources, this study established a database of public transport in different years. It uses complex network theory to establish the model of public transportation network in Guangzhou and quantitatively analyses the influence of urban rail system on bus accessibility through a comparison of the urban transportation network that incorporates urban rail system and the bus network that did not include urban rail system. The evolution of the spatial pattern of public transportation accessibility in different time periods is also discussed. Subway accessibility analysis is based on subway station and network accessibility and the change in center of high accessibility is analyzed to represent network accessibility change over time. The purpose of this study is to provide theoretical support for an integrated development of urban public transportation system through the analysis of the comprehensive influence of subway construction on urban public transportation. The principal findings of this study are as follows: (1) The Guangzhou subway network successfully completed the transformation from the tree-shaped to the loop network. The high accessibility center of the Guangzhou subway network moved to the east and south and this is consistent with the direction of the city's spatial expansion. (2) The incorporation of the urban rail system did have impacts on the overall accessibility of the public transportation network. (3) The subway network influences the spatial pattern of Guangzhou public transport accessibility. Along the metro line public transport accessibility is better than other regions. (4) Through the comparison of accessibility over years, we found that urban subway network expands residents' travel range and shorten travel time at the same time. As urban rail network continues to expand, public transport accessibility will steadily improve along the subway lines. This study only discusses transportation infrastructure-the subway and bus networks. Travel demand of city residents is not considered in this study. Future research can examine the coordination of the subway network and urban public transportation network and explore demand and supply of subway and bus networks by taking into account the distribution of resident travel demands..

Key words: subway accessibility, public transportation accessibility, complex network, Guangzhou

CLC Number: 

  • K901