How will we get there? Analyzing access of low-socioeconomic-status households to destinations in Australian cities

Access to essential goods and services is increasingly recognized as a key factor influencing household socioeconomic disadvantage within cities. Socioeconomic status (SES) and spatial location partly determine differential accessibility. Spatial variation of low-SES groups across cities and the travel patterns of these groups have been mostly ignored by strategic transport models, which have been concerned more with traffic volumes on the road network and peak hour travel. This study expanded on a method that used cluster analysis techniques to identify low-SES groups on the Gold Coast of Australia from a large regional household travel survey. This method allowed for the identification of the actual travel behavior of low-SES groups. With this information, the study advanced a new origin-destination-based land use and transport accessibility model. The model used the output from the cluster analysis, in conjunction with 2006 Australian census data, to highlight accessibility to goods and service needs for a set of low-SES groups on the Gold Coast. The method developed provided unique opportunities for research into spatial disadvantage and accessibility in Australian cities. The conceptualization of the transport network with outputs provided at the census collection district level (approximately 200 households) ensured that the model could be run concurrently with conventional transport models.