POTENTIAL ACCESSIBILITY, STAGING OF THE ROAD NETWORK DEVELOPMENT, SETTLEMENT NETWORK STRUCTURE AND FORM OF DISTANCE DECAY

Keywords: potential accessibility, settlement network structure, road network development, distance decay, Spain, France, Germany, Poland, Romania
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 03:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 05:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 59

Abstract

The paper brings together transport and land use and confronts in a systemic manner a number of complex methodological issues related to the dimensions of potential accessibility (settlement network structure, staging of the road network development, and form of distance decay) with empirical data obtained for selected European countries (Spain, France, Germany, Poland and Romania). The general base hypothesis is that the change in potential accessibility on a nationwide level is relative and depends on a number of dimensions of accessibility, out of which the following – when seen in dynamic terms – are of key importance: (1) The spatial differentiation of trip origins and destinations within the nationwide urban settlement network; (2) The phasing the development of motorway transport infrastructure components; (3) Travel length (measured by distance decay). The added value of the paper lies in the inclusion of the dynamics of the motorway development by taking into account the period of big push to roads in Spain, France, Germany, Poland and Romania. The paper involves a multi-criteria analysis of the relativity and effectiveness of change in potential accessibility in the context of the cost of building modern network-based transport infrastructure systems (systems of motorways). The conclusion is that countries (Spain, France, Germany, Poland and Romania) differ in terms of how they stage the development of their road infrastructure depending on morphological polycentricity, functional polycentrism (also in non-transport-related terms), and other factors (e.g. natural and anthropogenic barriers), as well as their policy aimed at supporting specific regions, etc.