Planning for non-motorized travel in rural Nepal: a role for geographic information systems

Abstract: This study uses a geographic information system to model mobility and accessibility as inputs to infrastructure planning in rural Nepal. The focus is on where to locate pedestrian bridges to improve access to schools and health services. Priorities are assigned to potential bridges based on an index of relative importance derived through use of a spatial interaction model. Despite differences in the number of schools versus health care facilities, there is considerable similarity between the spatial distributions of high and low priority bridge sites. However, even if all potential bridges are built, pockets of poor accessibility remain unless additional service centers are located in these regions. The analytical approach outlined here can provide easy-to-update, system-wide information that could be incorporated into local planning processes to help government officials and the public-at-large assess the benefits of different infrastructure scenarios. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]