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Towards a general theory of access

Author

Listed:
  • David Levinson
  • Hao Wu

    (TransportLab, School of Civil Engineering, University of Sydney)

Abstract

This paper integrates and extends many of the concepts of accessibility deriving from Hansen’s (1959) seminal paper, and develops a theory of access that generalizes from the particular measures of access that have become increasingly common. Access is now measured for a particular place by a particular mode for a particular purpose at a particular time in a particular year. General access is derived as a theoretical ideal that would be measured for all places, all modes, all purposes, at all times, over the lifecycle of a project. It is posited that more general access measures better explain spatial location phenomena.

Suggested Citation

  • David Levinson & Hao Wu, 2020. "Towards a general theory of access," Working Papers 2022-01, University of Minnesota: Nexus Research Group.
    • Handle: RePEc:nex:wpaper:generaltheory
    DOI: 10.5198/jtlu.2020.1660
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    File URL: https://hdl.handle.net/2123/22673
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Allen, Jeff & Farber, Steven & Greaves, Stephen & Clifton, Geoffrey & Wu, Hao & Sarkar, Somwrita & Levinson, David M., 2021. "Immigrant settlement patterns, transit accessibility, and transit use," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    3. Cui, Boer & DeWeese, James & Wu, Hao & King, David A. & Levinson, David & El-Geneidy, Ahmed, 2022. "All ridership is local: Accessibility, competition, and stop-level determinants of daily bus boardings in Portland, Oregon," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    4. Acheampong, Ransford A. & Asabere, Stephen Boahen, 2022. "Urban expansion and differential accessibility by car and public transport in the Greater Kumasi city-region, Ghana—A geospatial modelling approach," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    5. Allen, Jeff & Higgins, Christopher D. & Silver, Daniel & Farber, Steven, 2023. "Are low-income residents disproportionately moving away from transit?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    6. Klar, Ben & Lee, Jinhyung & Long, Jed A. & Diab, Ehab, 2023. "The impacts of accessibility measure choice on public transit project evaluation: A comparative study of cumulative, gravity-based, and hybrid approaches," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Transport; Accessibility; Land Use;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise
    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns

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