Planning for Equitable Accessibility to Public Facilities: Case Study of Faridabad, India

Abstract

This paper presents a case study of Faridabad, India, to investigate the role of urban planning in ensuring equitable accessibility to public facilities. The study focuses on the concept of Equitable Accessibility, which refers to providing an unbiased level of transit service to vulnerable populations, such as economically weaker sections, senior citizens and working women. The study utilizes GIS-based spatial analysis, and an analysis of street videos to measure the level of service of street infrastructure, and accessibility to public facilities, such as schools, hospitals and parks. The study also evaluates the existing urban planning policies to determine their effectiveness in promoting equitable access. The analysis reveals that degraded street infrastructure and inadequate pedestrian facilities lead to difficulties in reaching destinations and higher travel time, distances, cost and unsafety, particularly for vulnerable populations who are dependent on walking, cycling and public transportation. The study identifies specific routes that are highly inaccessible due to poor infrastructure quality and are exposed to the majority of vulnerable people. A GIS assessment model is built to calculate the equitable routes for walking and driving to different public facilities. The findings argue that urban planning can play a crucial role in promoting equity and reducing social exclusion by incorporating accessibility considerations into decision-making and ensuring that public facilities are located in areas that are accessible to all residents.

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