Accessibility to Schools: Spatial and Social Imbalances and the Impact of Population Density in Four European Cities

Abstract

On the particular landscape left by the economic crisis in many European cities, the role of public services has become crucial and it is essential to analyze them when defining efficient policies aimed at adjusting resources to minimize social impact. The central goal of this research is to evaluate existing accessibility to public facilities in relation to the amount of resources deployed and their location, with a special focus on detecting potential social inequalities and spatial imbalances. The study focuses on the analysis of primary education centers in Barcelona, London, Madrid, and Rotterdam. The results reveal significant differences among the four cities. The analyses show better accessibility to public schools for the most vulnerable population, although a substantial imbalance is exposed when considering overall accessibility, which includes private schools. Moreover, the study reveals significant spatial imbalances and the impact of population density. Finally, existing accessibility to public schools is evaluated according to the amount of resources deployed and how optimized those resources are at the location.