Investigating spatial accessibility to urban facility outcome of transit-oriented development in Dhaka

Abstract

Transit-oriented development (TOD) is credited with improving urban residents’ quality of life (QoL) and social sustainability by ensuring adequate and convenient spatial access to urban facilities. However, there is insufficient empirical evidence to suggest that TOD is likely to ensure spatial accessibility to urban facilities in developing countries. Using Dhaka as a case study, this study aims at answering this question by: a) assessing a neighborhood’s potential for TOD using cluster analysis of built environment (BE) factors (job-household ratio, cul-de-sac density, connected node ratio, land use diversity, distance to transit stop, and public transit accessibility); b) authenticating the selection of TOD types based on travel behavior and property value; c) quantifying an integrated spatial accessibility index of urban facilities for two time periods and finding their association with TOD; and d) identifying the relationship among BE indicators and spatial accessibility to urban facilities for the year 2019 using Ordinary Least Square (OLS), Spatial Lag Model (SLM), and Spatial Error Model (SEM). The results demonstrated that TOD neighborhoods possess better spatial accessibility to urban facilities compared to non-TODs. Spatial accessibility to urban facilities has also increased significantly in TOD areas over time. Regression models indicate a statistically significant relationship between accessibility and BE variables indicators. The SEM model was the most effective in describing the variation in geographic accessibility to urban facilities when compared to the other two regression models-OLS and SLM. These findings would recommend policymakers and planners to continue to advocate for TOD for ensuring better accessibility to urban facilities.

Keywords

• Transit-oriented development
• Quality of life
• Social sustainability
• Spatial accessibility
• Urban facilities