Challenges of implementing equity-based accessibility thresholds for different modes of transport : a comparison of Gothenburg and Zurich regions

It is possible to see a growing interest both in academic as well as practice regarding the link between transport and justice, shifting the focus away from transport planning per se towards the inclusion of social aspects of sustainability in policy and planning. This has involved an increasing awareness of accessibility as a potentially useful concept. To better address issues of social equity, accessibility has been identified as a preferred measure. However, when applying an approach based on equity and sufficiency principles there is a need to define thresholds for minimum standards of accessibility. The policy should then focus on the groups and/or areas that fall below this level. One potential problem is the setting of concrete thresholds and the associated challenges of fulfilling this for different modes of transport and different geographical and governance contexts. This paper will discuss the usefulness of accessibility thresholds in planning through a comparative analysis of various modes of travel to every-day activities (e.g. basic healthcare, grocery shopping, school) in two different regions, Gothenburg and Zurich. For this, we develop and implement methods that allow for computing potential accessibilities and the sufficiency and equity outcomes for the areas under investigation. Indicators which help us to identify the impact of different accessibility thresholds through sensitivity analysis combined with indicators of equality such the Gini-coefficient. The result is expected to provide to support further in-depth discussions on the issue of the often taken-for-granted conception of increasing accessibility as always positive