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Indicators of urban accessibility: Theory and application

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Abstract

The concept of accessibility and its related indicators have been in use for a long time, with still diverging interpretations of their significance and formulation. In this paper, a review is made of various existing theoretical bases, with special emphasis on recent behavioural approaches. It is suggested that this theoretical framework now allows a better appraisal of accessibility indicators and precise recommendations are proposed for their practical formulation and use. Various examples are given, especially for disaggregate analysis where a calculation “for a given person” is proposed instead of the conventional calculation .“by a given mode”. Finally, the relations between accessibility and trip rate are examined; from a study made in French cities, it is suggested that accessibility is a powerful determinant of trip rate.

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Koenig, J.G. Indicators of urban accessibility: Theory and application. Transportation 9, 145–172 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00167128

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00167128

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