Measuring walking accessibility to public transport for the elderly: the case of Naples

Demographic ageing represents an essential challenge for local authorities and public transport providers. Decision-makers should not ignore the speci c needs of this weak segment of the population and should implement appropriate policies. This paper develops a GIS-based method to analyse public transport accessibility of elderly people to support policies and planning strategies. To test the proposed method, we propose an application to the city of Naples in Italy. We selected this study case because it represents an example of high population density, complex urban structure and low level of quality of life, especially for the elderly. The application to the city of Naples showed that the urban accessibility changes dramatically for different age segments. Results also reveal patterns of public transport coverage that are signi cantly low particularly in suburban settings. The structure of this paper is organised into four sections: in the rst section, we introduce the main topic of mobility of elderly; in the second section, we describe and discuss the GIS-based method proposed; in the third section, we report on the application to the city of Naples; in the last section, we analyse the results and discuss future research developments

Measuring spatial accessibility to urban services for older adults: an application to healthcare facilities in Milan

This study proposes a Geographic Information Systems-based methodology to measure accessibility to urban services from the elderly perspective to support urban planning processes. Specifically, it seeks to understand and clarify how the urban environment can influence the quality of life for older adults, mostly through pedestrian and public transport networks, locations of essential urban services, and the organisation of their resources. In light of a significant demographic change, policymakers will have to promote age-friendly urban planning approaches to guarantee equal access to services and activities. We propose a methodology to measure accessibility to healthcare provision services that considers land-use and mobility features and older adults' behavioural traits. The method belongs to the family of 2SFCA—2 steps floating catchment area—which evaluate accessibility as the combination of both supply and demand of urban services. Therefore, we have introduced innovative elements to shape actual mobility opportunities for the elderly and their travel choices. The methodology was applied to Milan's city to measure accessibility to the Health Protection Agency (ATS) services, which is responsible for healthcare assistance to the elderly dwelling in the city. The outputs show that a significant share of older people (almost 40%) suffer from poor accessibility to primary health services and that they mostly live in the city periphery. Moreover, the application to a case study has shown that the methodology could identify the critical aspects needed to aid urban planning to achieve a high quality of life for elderly people

A gas stations location and their relationship with the operational characteristics of a road network

This research proposal applies geostatistical techniques to discover the relationship between the geographic locations of different gas stations and the operational characteristics offered by the transport network of the city of Manizales. This research is supported by basic information gathered for more than a year using GPS equipment (more than 18 million records). The time needed to get to gas stations is calculated as well as the spatial coverage in terms of population and area. Graphical results are obtained and these explain the time needed to get to a particular gas station. Quantitative comparisons are made among the different types of gas stations and the sectors of the city lacking gas stations coverage are established

Application of a prefeasibility study methodology in the selection of road infrastructure projects: The case of Manizales (Colombia)

Major cities in Colombia are currently generating urban transformation processes that involve the construction of major infrastructures, which mainly look to mitigate the adverse effects of ever-increasing road traffic. In addition, intermediate cities have made great efforts when it comes to urban planning and promote the application of prefeasibility study methodologies to make the appropriate decisions regarding the infrastructures to be built in specific places in the city. This paper discusses the results after applying a prioritization methodology as a comparative tool between two possible road infrastructures in the area of San Marcel in the city of Manizales, Colombia. The best proposal is selected based on the best coverage indicators and variables such as overall construction costs and life span: determined from information generated in traffic simulations

Accesibilidad territorial: instrumento de planificación urbana y regional

This research explores the state of the art regarding territorial accessibility analysis and their use as planning tools worldwide. It clearly shows the general methodology of implementation, and the wide range of possibilities as a powerful tool for territorial planning in urban and regional level. Throughout the article we explore examples that show how the application of this methodology can enhance decision-making processes regarding a future intervention project, or reflecting needs for operational changes in a transport system. This planning tool is supported in processing and geostatistical analysis of a large amount of data, mostly, satellite positioning data, operational, geographical and topological characteristics of the networks studied. For both levels of territorial planning the graphic results show valuable maps in which the impact of interventions or operational changes over the territory can be identified. This article shows the advantages of this methodology as a planning tool and concludes about its implementation.En esta investigación se explora el estado del arte respecto a los análisis de accesibilidad territorial y el uso de los mismos como instrumentos de planificación a nivel mundial. Se muestra claramente la metodología general de aplicación y la amplia gama de posibilidades existentes como un potente instrumento de planificación territorial a nivel urbano y regional. A lo largo del artículo se abordan ejemplos que muestran cómo la aplicación de esta metodología puede potenciar la toma de decisiones respecto a un proyecto de intervención futura, o reflejar necesidades en los cambios operativos de un servicio de transporte. Este instrumento de planificación se soporta en el procesamiento y análisis geoestadístico de una gran cantidad de datos, en su gran mayoría datos de posicionamiento satelital, características operativas, topológicas y geográficas de las redes que se va a estudiar. Para ambos niveles de planificación territorial se obtienen resultados gráficos valiosos que permiten identificar el impacto de las intervenciones o de los cambios operativos sobre el territorio. Este artículo muestra las bondades de la metodología como instrumento de planificación y concluye sobre la aplicación de la misma

Capturing time in space : Dynamic analysis of accessibility and mobility to support spatial planning with open data and tools

Understanding the spatial patterns of accessibility and mobility are a key (factor) to comprehend the functioning of our societies. Hence, their analysis has become increasingly important for both scientific research and spatial planning. Spatial accessibility and mobility are closely related concepts, as accessibility describes the potential to move by modeling, whereas spatial mobility describes the realized movements of individuals. While both spatial accessibility and mobility have been widely studied, the understanding of how time and temporal change affects accessibility and mobility has been rather limited this far. In the era of ‘big data’, the wealth of temporally sensitive spatial data has made it possible, better than ever, to capture and understand the temporal realities of spatial accessibility and mobility, and hence start to understand better the dynamics of our societies and complex living environment. In this thesis, I aim to develop novel approaches and methods to study the spatio-temporal realities of our living environments via concepts of accessibility and mobility: How people can access places, how they actually move, and how they use space. I inspect these dynamics on several temporal granularities, covering hourly, daily, monthly, and yearly observations and analyses. With novel big data sources, the methodological development and careful assessment of the information extracted from them is extremely important as they are increasingly used to guide decision-making. Hence, I investigate the opportunities and pitfalls of different data sources and methodological approaches in this work. Contextually, I aim to reveal the role of time and the mode of transportation in relation to spatial accessibility and mobility, in both urban and rural environments, and discuss their role in spatial planning. I base my findings on five scientific articles on studies carried out in: Peruvian Amazonia; national parks of South Africa and Finland; Tallinn, Estonia; and Helsinki metropolitan area, Finland. I use and combine data from various sources to extract knowledge from them, including GPS devices; transportation schedules; mobile phones; social media; statistics; land-use data; and surveys. My results demonstrate that spatial accessibility and mobility are highly dependent on time, having clear diurnal and seasonal changes. Hence, it is important to consider temporality when analyzing accessibility, as people, transport and activities all fluctuate as a function of time that affects e.g. the spatial equality of reaching services. In addition, different transport modes should be considered as there are clear differences between them. Furthermore, I show that, in addition to the observed spatial population dynamics, also nature’s own dynamism affects accessibility and mobility on a regional level due to the seasonal variation in river-levels. Also, the visitation patterns in national parks vary significantly over time, as can be observed from social media. Methodologically, this work demonstrates that with a sophisticated fusion of methods and data, it is possible to assess; enrich; harmonize; and increase the spatial and temporal accuracy of data that can be used to better inform spatial planning and decision-making. Finally, I wish to emphasize the importance of bringing scientific knowledge and tools into practice. Hence, all the tools, analytical workflows, and data are openly available for everyone whenever possible. This approach has helped to bring the knowledge and tools into practice with relevant stakeholders in relation to spatial planning

Helsingin liikuntapalveluverkon saavutettavuus oikeudenmukaisen palvelusuunnittelun näkökulmasta

Liikunnan väheneminen on nykymaailmassa valtava terveysongelma, jonka vaikutukset näkyvät jo lisääntyneinä terveydenhoidon kuluina. Aiempi tutkimus on antanut viitteitä siitä, että liikuntamahdollisuuksien hyvä saavutettavuus lisää liikunnan määrää. Laajalla ja hyvin saavutettavalla liikuntapaikkatarjonnalla voikin olla tärkeä rooli väestön säännöllisen liikuntaharrastuksen tukemisessa. Jos liikuntapaikalle matkustamiseen menee liikaa aikaa, saattavat muut arjen toiminnot mennä liikunnan harrastamisen edelle. Erityistä huomiota tulisi kiinnittää lasten ja nuorten liikuntamahdollisuuksiin, sillä lapsuusajan liikunnallisuudella saavutettuja terveyshyötyjä ei täysin voi korvata aikuisena omaksutulla aktiivisella elämäntavalla. Tutkimuksen toimeksiantajana toimi Helsingin kaupungin liikuntavirasto, joka nykyään on osa kulttuurin ja vapaa-ajan toimialaa. Tutkimusasetelmassa korostuukin palveluntuottajan näkökulma ja se, että julkisten palveluiden olisi oltava oikeudenmukaisella tavalla sijoitettuja. Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan Helsingin liikuntapalveluverkon saavutettavuuden nykytilaa monen eri liikuntapaikkatyypin osalta eri oikeudenmukaisuuden näkökulmista. Tutkimusasetelman avulla on mahdollista arvioida erilaisten tarkastelutapojen soveltuvuutta kunnalliseen palvelusuunnitteluun. Tutkimusmenetelmänä olivat matka-aikoihin perustuvat saavutettavuuslaskennat liikuntapaikoille asutuista 250 x 250 metrin ruuduista. Laskennoissa huomioitiin yksityisautoilu, joukkoliikenne ja kävely riippuen kyseessä olevasta liikuntapaikkatyypistä ja sen palveluprofiilista. Analyyseja oli kolmenlaisia: 1) matka-aikalaskennat koko väestön osalta arkena kello 17.30–18.30, 2) matka-aikalaskennat samaan aikaan ruuduista, joissa asuu paljon 7-20-vuotiaita ja 3) matka-aikojen ja kokonaismatkaketjujen vertailu, kun harjoitusaika ja -paikka on ennalta määrätty. Hyväksyttävänä enimmäismatkustusaikana pidettiin kirjallisuuteen perustuen 30 minuuttia. Tulosten perusteella voidaan liikuntapalveluverkon todeta olevan Helsingissä pääasiassa hyvin saavutettavissa myös joukkoliikenteellä ja jopa kävellen, vaikka henkilöautosaavutettavuus onkin edelleen omaa luokkaansa. Tulokset osoittavat lisäksi, että saavutettavuus on väestön painopistealueet huomioiden parempi, kuin vain alueellisessa tarkastelussa. Myös 7-20-vuotiaat ovat sijoittuneet enimmäkseen hyvän saavutettavuuden alueille. Kolmas analyysi puolestaan todistaa, että erot autoilun ja joukkoliikenteen välillä ovat temporaalisessa tarkastelussa merkittäviä. Kokonaisuutena tutkimus osoittaa, että palvelusuunnittelua varten on tarkasteltava saavutettavuutta moni eri asia huomioon ottaen, jotta oikeudenmukaista palveluiden sijoittelua koskevat päätökset voidaan tehdä tietoperustaisesti. Saavutettavuusanalyysien avulla voidaan arvioida uusien liikuntapaikkojen sijainteja siten, että ne tukisivat väestön säännöllistä liikuntaharrastusta ja aktiivista elämäntapaa

Capturing time in space : dynamic analysis of accessibility and mobility to support spatial planning with open data and tools

Understanding the spatial patterns of accessibility and mobility are a key (factor) to comprehend the functioning of our societies. Hence, their analysis has become increasingly important for both scientific research and spatial planning. Spatial accessibility and mobility are closely related concepts, as accessibility describes the potential to move by modeling, whereas spatial mobility describes the realized movements of individuals. While both spatial accessibility and mobility have been widely studied, the understanding of how time and temporal change affects accessibility and mobility has been rather limited this far. In the era of ‘big data’, the wealth of temporally sensitive spatial data has made it possible, better than ever, to capture and understand the temporal realities of spatial accessibility and mobility, and hence start to understand better the dynamics of our societies and complex living environment. In this thesis, I aim to develop novel approaches and methods to study the spatio-temporal realities of our living environments via concepts of accessibility and mobility: How people can access places, how they actually move, and how they use space. I inspect these dynamics on several temporal granularities, covering hourly, daily, monthly, and yearly observations and analyses. With novel big data sources, the methodological development and careful assessment of the information extracted from them is extremely important as they are increasingly used to guide decision-making. Hence, I investigate the opportunities and pitfalls of different data sources and methodological approaches in this work. Contextually, I aim to reveal the role of time and the mode of transportation in relation to spatial accessibility and mobility, in both urban and rural environments, and discuss their role in spatial planning. I base my findings on five scientific articles on studies carried out in: Peruvian Amazonia; national parks of South Africa and Finland; Tallinn, Estonia; and Helsinki metropolitan area, Finland. I use and combine data from various sources to extract knowledge from them, including GPS devices; transportation schedules; mobile phones; social media; statistics; land-use data; and surveys. My results demonstrate that spatial accessibility and mobility are highly dependent on time, having clear diurnal and seasonal changes. Hence, it is important to consider temporality when analyzing accessibility, as people, transport and activities all fluctuate as a function of time that affects e.g. the spatial equality of reaching services. In addition, different transport modes should be considered as there are clear differences between them. Furthermore, I show that, in addition to the observed spatial population dynamics, also nature’s own dynamism affects accessibility and mobility on a regional level due to the seasonal variation in river-levels. Also, the visitation patterns in national parks vary significantly over time, as can be observed from social media. Methodologically, this work demonstrates that with a sophisticated fusion of methods and data, it is possible to assess; enrich; harmonize; and increase the spatial and temporal accuracy of data that can be used to better inform spatial planning and decision-making. Finally, I wish to emphasize the importance of bringing scientific knowledge and tools into practice. Hence, all the tools, analytical workflows, and data are openly available for everyone whenever possible. This approach has helped to bring the knowledge and tools into practice with relevant stakeholders in relation to spatial planning. Keywords: Accessibility; Spatial mobility; Spatio-temporal; Multimodal; Travel time; Open data; Social media; GIS; Data science; Data mining; Spatial planning; National parks; Finland; South Africa; Peruvian Amazonia; Helsinki Region; TallinnAlueellisen saavutettavuuden ja ihmisten liikkumisen rakenteiden hahmottaminen on tärkeää yhteiskunnan toiminnan ymmärtämisessä. Saavutettavuusanalyyseistä on tullut yksi keskeisistä työkaluista alueellisen suunnittelun ja päätöksenteon tueksi. Käsitteinä saavutettavuus ja liikkuminen ovat lähellä toisiaan. Saavutettavuudella tarkoitetaan tyypillisesti ihmisten mahdollisuutta saavuttaa eri paikkoja liikkumalla, kun ihmisten liikkumisen tutkimus keskittyy toteutuneeseen liikkumiseen. Saavutettavuuden ja todellisen liikkumisen alueellisia rakenteita on tutkittu melko paljon eri ympäristöissä. Rakenteiden ajallisten muutosten huomioiminen saavutettavuus- ja liikkumistutkimuksessa on ollut paljon vähäisempää. Nykyiset massiiviset digitaaliset tietoaineistot ovat mahdollistaneet yhteiskunnan eri toimintojen tarkastelun ennennäkemättömällä tarkkuudella niin ajallisesti kuin alueellisestikin. Väitöskirjassani pyrin kehittämään ja soveltamaan uusia lähestymistapoja sekä analyyttisia työkaluja alueellisen saavutettavuuden sekä ihmisten liikkumisen tutkimuksessa. Lisäksi pyrin ymmärtämään kuinka saavutettavuusrakenteet sekä ihmisten liikkumisen rakenteet vaihtelevat ajassa ja tilassa eri aikaperspektiiveillä ulottuen tunneista ja päivistä aina kuukausittaisiin ja vuosienvälisiin tarkasteluihin. Työni anti tieteelliseen keskusteluun on menetelmäpainotteinen, mutta tarjoan myös kontekstisidonnaisia havaintoja tutkimusalueiltani. Uusien tietolähteiden sekä menetelmien suhteen on tärkeää ymmärtää toisaalta niiden tarjoamat mahdollisuudet, mutta myös heikkoudet. Yksi väitöskirjani tavoite onkin tarkastella näitä tekijöitä eri aineistojen ja menetelmien suhteen. Väitöskirjani koostuu johdanto-osasta sekä viidestä tieteellisestä artikkelista. Artikkelit on toteutettu erilaisissa maantieteellisissä ympäristöissä: Perun Amazoniassa, Suomen ja Etelä-Afrikan kansallispuistoissa, Tallinnassa sekä Helsingin metropolialueella. Tulokseni osoittavat, että alueelliset saavutettavuuden ja liikkumisen rakenteet vaihtelevat merkittävästi eri ajankohtina ja niissä on selkeitä päivittäisiä ja kausittaisia vaihteluja. Ajallinen vaihtelu kohdistuu kaikkiin saavutettavuuden komponentteihin, sillä niin liikennejärjestelmä, palveluverkko, kuin ihmisten sijainnitkin vaihtelevat merkittävästi ajassa. Näiden yhteisvaikutuksesta saavutettavuus saattaa samalla alueellakin näyttäytyä eri ajankohtina hyvin erilaisena. Saavuttavuuden ajallinen vaihtelu olisikin tärkeää huomioida entistä paremmin esimerkiksi suunnittelussa. Lisäksi saavutettavuuden alueelliset rakenteet näyttäytyvät hyvin erilaisina riippuen siitä, millä kulkutavalla saavutettavuutta mallinnetaan. Autoilijan saavutettavuustodellisuus on toisenlainen kuin joukkoliikenteen käyttäjän. Tulokseni osoittavat, että myös luonnon dynamiikalla voi olla suuri merkitys saavutettavuuteen. Esimerkiksi Amazonian jokien vedenkorkeuden vuodenaikainen vaihtelu vaikuttaa suuresti navigoimiseen ja saavutettavuusrakenteisiin alueellisella tasolla. Liikenneverkon dynaamisuuden lisäksi myös ihmisten liike, ja ihmisten sijainnin dynaamisuus, tulisi ottaa huomioon saavutettavuusmallinnuksessa. Ihmisten vaihtelevien sijaintien tutkimus on perinteisesti vaikeaa, mutta uusilla aineistolähteillä, kuten sosiaalisella medialla, voidaan tuottaa tästä uutta tietoa. Toisaalta dynaaminen saavutettavuus on pitkälti riippuvainen kohdepisteiden, kuten palveluiden alueellisista rakenteista. Alueilla joissa liikenneverkko on melko vakiintunut, palveluiden rakennemuutoksilla saattaa olla liikennehankkeita suurempi vaikutus saavutettavuuteen. Menetelmällisesti väitöskirjani osoittaa eri datalähteiden ja menetelmien yhdistelyn tärkeyden datan spatiaalisen ja ajallisen tarkkuuden parantamisessa, yhdenmukaistamisessa, laadun arvioimisessa, ja rikastamisessa. Lopuksi haluan korostaa tieteellisen tiedon, menetelmien ja aineistojen avoimuuden tärkeyttä, sillä sen avulla tehty työ on mahdollista saada tehokkaasti osaksi käytännön suunnittelua ja päätöksentekoa. Väitöskirjassani kehittämäni työkalut ja sen aikana tuotetut datat onkin julkaistu pääsääntöisesti avoimesti. Tämän ansiosta niitä voidaan vapaasti hyödyntää ja niiden laatua voidaan arvioida kriittisesti. Avoimuuden seurauksena työssä kehitetyt menetelmät ovat jo päätyneet osaksi käytännön aluesuunnittelutyötä. Asiasanat: Saavutettavuus; Liikkuminen; Aika-tilallisuus; Multimodaalisuus; Matka-aika; Avoin data; GIS; Sosiaalinen media; Datatiede; Tiedonlouhinta; Alueellinen suunnittelu; Kansallispuistot; Suomi; Etelä-Afrikka; Perun Amazonia; Pääkaupunkiseutu; Tallinn

Forest Cover Dynamics of Shifting Cultivation in the Democratic Republic of Congo

This dissertation is focused on contextualizing spatio-temporally forest cover loss in the DRC for the period 2000-2015 as it relates to the shifting cultivation dynamic and the rural complex mosaic. Impacts of forest loss on forest ecosystems, carbon release and biodiversity habitat differ depending on where and when it occurs relative to the rural complex. This was done by mapping the rural complex and disaggregating forest cover loss due to cyclical, livelihood shifting cultivation within three areas: 1) the baseline established rural complex (ERC) for 2000 and new 2000-2015 primary forest loss occurring as either 2) rural complex expansion (RCE) or 3) isolated forest perforations (IFP) further into core forest. Finally the influence of large-scale commercial land uses on forest cover loss is also assessed, from a spatial perspective. Between 2000 and 2010 the rural complex grew by 10% from 12% to 13% of the DRC’s land area, at an average yearly rate of 1%, while perforated forest grew by 74%, from 0.8% to 1.5% of DRC’s land area in 2010 at an average yearly rate of 0.7%. Core forest decreased by -3.8% at an average yearly rate of -0.4% per year, from 38% to 36.6% of the 2010 land area. Of particular concern is the nearly doubling of perforated forest, representing greater spatial intrusion of forest clearing within core forest areas. The land cover and land use (LCLU) components of the ERC were estimated by photo-interpreting high resolution imagery selected using a simple random sampling scheme. In the ERC 76% of land was already actively used for shifting cultivation. Therefore, together with remnant patches of primary forest (11%), an estimated 87% of the ERC was available for future shifting cultivation. Assuming a 4.6% clearing rate, this allowed estimating a ~18 year reuse rate of land in the ERC. Only 2% of the ERC area was occupied by large-scale commercial land use. This led to positing that commercial land uses might be more prevalent further away from settlements into core forest, where lower population density leads to less competition for natural resources. This hypothesis was tested by extending the probabilistic sampling analysis to new primary forest cover loss occurring outside of the ERC during the period 2000-2015. The map of the rural complex developed in Chapter 2 was validated, confirming larger proportions of primary forest and smaller proportions of shifting cultivation further away from the ERC and into core forest areas. LCLU proportions were established for both the RCE and IFP areas. Finally a concentric buffer distance analysis around sample points was used to quantify large-scale commercial land uses at the landscape scale, such as logging, mining and plantations that might be influencing shifting cultivation-driven forest cover loss. In the RCE the proportion of commercial land use was 0.4%, whereas it was 0.5% in IFPs; less than the proportion of commercial land use found in the ERC (2%). At the same time, results of the concentric buffer distance analysis show that 12% of sample points in the RCE and 9% of sample points in the IFP had commercial land uses within 5km. Commercial land uses are possibly more prevalent closer to the ERC because while there is more competition for land, there are also roads and communities that allow for the transportation of goods and provide labor. These results support the conclusion that large scale LCLU change dynamics in the DRC, such as commercial operations for export, are currently dwarfed by the reliance of rural populations on shifting cultivation. The vast majority of forest cover loss in the DRC remains due to smallholder farming not associated with commercial land uses. However, large-scale agroindustry or resource extraction activities lead to increased forest loss as their worker populations and communities rely on shifting cultivation for food, materials and energy. The spatial analysis of the rural complex allows us to peer into the future of forests in the DRC, as where isolated perforations lead, the rural complex soon follows and as the rural complex expands, so do commercial land uses