1. Regional accessibility indicators: developments and perspectives
Hugo Poelman
DG REGIO-GIS

2. Objectives for Structural Funds intervention 2007-2013
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The context
Treaty: « harmonious, balanced and sustainable development of economic activities »
Objectives for Structural Funds intervention
convergence
competitiveness and employment
cooperation

3. Accessibility of a region/territory
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The context
Accessibility of a region/territory
key concept related to the three S.F. objectives
accessibility problems of convergence regions
role in assessing regional competitiveness
cooperation: role in analysing the situation of cross-border regions

4. Accessibility relates to
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Areas of interest
Accessibility relates to
transport networks
telecom networks
availability of specific services of general interest
Focus of this presentation:
role of transport infrastructure

5. Different types of indicators:
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Data and indicators
Different types of indicators:
different levels of data requirements
different degrees of complexity
Main types include:
endowment indicators
travel time and travel cost
daily and potential accessibility

6. Endow-ment indicators
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Endow-ment indicators
Measure the presence of infrastructure in the regions
Typically: network length and/or density, expressed by surface and/or population
More refined description when using breakdown by category of infrastructure (gives some hints on network quality)

7. Endow-ment indicators Example
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Endow-ment indicators Example
Density of railway lines by population
density expressed in relation to surface, population, or – sometimes – weighted density using 50% of population and 50% of surface.

8. Endow-ment indicators Example
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Endow-ment indicators Example
Time-stamped network information: evolution of motorway network
Quality aspects – categorisation of links (e.g. electrified or double-track railways, capacity of roads, etc.)

9. Travel time and travel cost
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Travel time and travel cost
Travel time from an area to the nearest location of a certain kind
Travel cost (accumulated) to a set of certain activities

10. Transportation richness index
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Travel time Example
Transportation richness index
buffers around network nodes to determine approximate travel time
index values for 10 km grid cells
combining different transport modes (e.g. relevant for passenger or freight transport)
experimental analysis using GISCO data, relatively simple methodology

11. Transportation richness index for TEN freight network
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Travel time Example
Transportation richness index for TEN freight network

12. 04/03/2005
Travel time Example
Average time to reach the 3 nearest cities of more than inhabitants

13. Connectivity indicators (ESPON)
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Travel cost Example
Connectivity indicators (ESPON)
Weighted travel time from regions or representative point locations
Evaluating accessibility to a set of transport network access points where a minimum level of services is provided

14. Aspects of connectivity
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Travel cost Example
Aspects of connectivity
Level of service provision of network nodes (e.g. rail stations, motorway entrances)
Availability of secondary networks enabling access to the nodes

15. Daily and potential accessibil-ity
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Daily and potential accessibil-ity
Daily accessibility: activities (or locations) accessible within a given time
Potential accessibility: accessibility to accumulated activities, weighted by a function of travel time (or cost)

16. Daily accessibil- ity Example
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Daily accessibil- ity Example
Daily accessibility (by air) between MEGAs
MEGA = Metropolitan European Growth Areas, i.e. the main functional urban areas of Europe, as identified by a classification developed by one of the ESPON projects.

17. Potential accessibil-ity Example
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Potential accessibil-ity Example
Potential accessibility of NUTS3 regions
Time-distance matrix of NUTS3 regions
Impedances taken into account
With respect to regional population (or GDP)
other analysis frames possible: e.g. grid cells instead of NUTS3 centroids.

18. Towards a set of indicators?
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Towards a set of indicators?
The “best” or the “unique” accessibility indicator doesn’t exist
Accessibility of regions / territories could be described by a core set of indicators, covering different aspects
Special attention for the relationship between those indicators
relationships between indicators: interpretation of an indicator should be done taking into account the values observed for other indicators (e.g. connectivity taking into account network endowment)

19. Towards a set of indicators?
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Towards a set of indicators?
Questions of model development (improved spatial analysis tools)
Coherent indicator set
Updateable (frequency?) and comparable over time
Place of the accessibility concept in the future development of regional transport indicators by Eurostat?

20. Towards a set of indicators?
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Towards a set of indicators?
Pending issues:
Concept of quality of accessibility:
actual use of networks
question of congestion
seasonal differences
Suitable data sources?
Unit of analysis: NUTS regions, grid cells, MAUP problem...
seasonal differences: effect of winter conditions in northern or mountain regions;
effect of temporary population concentration (tourism areas and flows).
MAUP = the modifiable areas unit problem

21. Current datasets OK for experimental work
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Data sources
Current datasets OK for experimental work
Mainstreaming accessibility indicators would increase requirements for basic geo-referenced data
Different indicators should be derived from (ideally) the same set of core datasets (e.g. same transport networks)

22. Transport networks: Data sources
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Data sources
Transport networks:
compatible with other reference layers
decently time-stamped and updated
including attribute information on quality and characteristics of links and nodes (cf. level of services provided)
EU + neighbours

23. Other data sets: Data sources Land Cover: Digital Elevation Model:
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Data sources
Other data sets:
Land Cover:
interpretation of accessibility differences
disaggregation tool for e.g. population data
delimiting urban and rural areas
Digital Elevation Model:
consider physical constraints
Local administrative borders + related (census) data

24. Modelling rather extensively testing (e.g. see www.espon.lu)
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Conclusion
Typical example of need for synergy between geographical and statistical data
Modelling rather extensively testing (e.g. see
Reliable and meaningful indicators should play a role in the analysis of regional situation and trends