Accessibility Measures and the Social Evaluation of Urban Structure

The measurement of accessibility and travel patterns in urban areas is described. The methodology presented includes graphical measures of physical accessibility, a numerical index of accessibility that is consistent with graphical measures, residents' accessibility weighted by transport availability, and the relationship between accessibility and travel behaviour. Some empirical results are presented for access and travel to male and female jobs in Sydney, with the use of data collected for the 1971 Census of Population and for the Sydney Area Transportation Study. The consequences of some alternative arrangements of land use and plans to improve public transport on residents' accessibility are investigated. It is argued that accessibility measures are a useful aid to planners and policymakers in the social evaluation of urban structure.