Spatial accessibility measures to educational facilities from public transit: A case of Indian cities

The purpose of this paper is to investigate accessibility using spatial assessment techniques, wherein it identifies how educational facilities are connected to public transit (PT) in Indian cities. A new accessibility index is formulated for various ranges of distances which is suitable for Indian cities. This study developed a new method by comparing Euclidean (near) and network distances, uses Google API and other mobile applications for mapping of PT and educational facilities. The study uses built land cover of the city retrieved from Landsat 8 data with a spatial resolution of 30 m. The study attempts to compare the reach to educational facilities from PT in five different cities of India using descriptive statistics, regression analysis, connectivity and detour indices. The results help in identifying local barriers and network issues that influence accessibility from public transit to educational facilities. The study is conducted entirely using spatial techniques, and the data used are collected from various government organizations. The results are useful for improving overall accessibility and developing a framework which can be included in urban development policies.