Spatial analysis of accessibility to support decision-making in urban investments: a case in Amazonia - Brazil

Abstract

City planning processes are often supported by decision-making methods that involve selection, evaluation and combination of several factors. Also, nowadays, the accessibility is one important issue for the development of cities. So, factors closely related to the accessibility are very relevant to identify and assess the location of urban facilities, which stresses the interest of evaluating accessibility methods. The main goal of the paper is to present an accessibility evaluation model applied in Santarém, in Brazil, a city located midway between the larger cities of Belem and Manaus. The paper describes the research instruments, sampling method and data analysis proposed for mapping urban accessibility. Basic activities (education, health, services, leisure and commerce) provided by the city were used to identify the main key-destinations. The model was implemented within a Geographic Information System and integrates the individual’s perspective, through the definition of each key destination weight, reflecting their significance for daily activities in the urban area. The results of this model application can support city administration decision-making for new investments in order to improve urban quality of live. In addition, the model can simulate and analyze several planning proposal for the city, e.g., expansion of the transport network, the construction of new education and health services, helping to understand which will be the consequences of those actions.