A new city access map aims to solve social differences in urban areas

Why we write about this topic:

People living in underprivileged areas struggle to access certain metropolitan areas, a problem this innovative online tool aspires to resolve.

Researchers from the University of Delft developed a new online application to support less fortunate communities accessing urban areas. Since these citizens do not have access to proper infrastructure nearby, the CityAccessMap was designed to measure and identify places needing structural investments. 

In those specific neighborhoods, people lack essential services, such as pharmacies, public libraries, and transportation, which should become a topic of discussion among policymakers. Raising awareness among public authorities is precisely the goal of this online feature. The creators hope to provide a map of localities in the necessity of a more improved support system, so the University in a press release. 

The study was made initially on accessibility and social-economic aspects, which further detected a gap in the access to services for poor communities.

Reduction of social problems

The CityAccessMap utilizes data from publicly available archives, like OpenStreetMap and the European Commission’s Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL). Then, it executes a data analysis and classifies the areas in more need of financing for public services. 

According to one of the researchers, Rotterdam is a city in the Netherlands presenting an inadequacy of local amenities, which will likely require investment to tackle social inequality. But Rotterdam is only one example in which even smaller cities should investigate those issues. Initiatives like the CityAccessMap contribute to the reduction of social problems and settle spatial and infrastructural disparities.

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