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The long road to achieving equity: Job accessibility restrictions and overlapping inequalities in the city of São Paulo

Author

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  • Slovic, Anne Dorothée
  • Tomasiello, Diego Bogado
  • Giannotti, Mariana
  • Andrade, Maria de Fatima
  • Nardocci, Adelaide C.

Abstract

Access to jobs is an important issue in cities which has not been experienced evenly. The Municipality of São Paulo, one of the world's megacities, reflects this uneven accessibility, marked by urban disparities and segregation of poverty-stricken groups. This study examines the inequalities in job accessibility and how it overlaps with socioeconomic indicators, life expectancy and infrastructure conditions, constituting multiple barriers to the most deprived populations. To capture this data, two extreme ends of the human development index have been selected: below the 10th percentile and above the 90th percentile of the Municipal Human Development Index (MHDI). The level of job accessibility was calculated considering proximity to the public transport network. The public transport network was developed in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment based on General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data and Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) from buses to measure travel times and to compute accessibility. Additionally, a spatial autocorrelation method considering job accessibility and HDI was applied to better explore the spatially overlapped pattern. Results have showed that lower rates of job accessibility are associated with areas of worse socioeconomic condition, where life expectancy is shorter and infrastructure is disproportionally precarious. In addition to facing longer travel times in public transportation, this lowest HDI percentile faces the overlapping inequalities that prevent their social ascension and inclusion. Highlighting these factors is essential in the search for equity in accessibility and the development of more inclusive transport policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Slovic, Anne Dorothée & Tomasiello, Diego Bogado & Giannotti, Mariana & Andrade, Maria de Fatima & Nardocci, Adelaide C., 2019. "The long road to achieving equity: Job accessibility restrictions and overlapping inequalities in the city of São Paulo," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 181-193.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:78:y:2019:i:c:p:181-193
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2019.06.003
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    References listed on IDEAS

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