A GIS-Based Approach to Analyzing Public Transit Accessibility and Service Equity with Public Data

Abstract: Social and spatial equality depends on having access to needs like grocery stores, healthcare providers, and public transit. This study presents an approach for evaluating people's access to basic services, particularly grocers and healthcare providers, through an application of Tucson, Arizona. This is of particular concern for older adults, and thus, this is a focus of our contribution. We carried out a spatial study to assess how accessibility to public transportation influences the availability of these services for different demographic groups, with a focus on older adults. Using ArcGIS tools and a new method, we evaluated accessibility. Specifically, this method made it possible to compare accessibility for different groups through public transportation, focusing on an applied approach that can be applied in new ways by practitioners and regional agencies. To identify differences in service accessibility, our analysis concentrated on a variety of demographic groups, such as low-income households and older people. When bus stops were considered, the accessibility of various locations varied significantly, which showed significant improvements for vulnerable populations. This paper offers important insights into urban planning and public transportation policy by describing this accurate and accessible method for evaluating service access through spatial analysis that can be adopted for any region, particularly in an applied manner and using datasets that many agencies have access to. Our methodology's reproducibility ensures that the results may be reliably implemented and validated in alternative settings, advancing comprehension of spatial and social equality in urban settings.