Assessment for the Social Sustainability and Equity under the Perspective of Accessibility to Jobs

Abstract

Social sustainability is a dimension of the concept of sustainability that has gained importance only in the last few decades and can be identified as the pursuit and measure of social equity. Equity can be analyzed under two approaches: horizontal and vertical. The horizontal approach considers the distribution of benefits equally, while the vertical equity considers these same benefits, but between specific groups, which is an adequate approach when dealing with policy-related topics, such as tariff subsidy. Accessibility is a factor that contributes to urban social sustainability and it may be a representation of physical and/or social barriers in the urban environment. Thus, this paper aims to assess social sustainability under a vertical equity approach, based on accessibility to jobs, for different population groups, comparing public with individual motorized transport. The case study was carried out in Medellín-Colombia, using data from the 2017 Home Destination Survey. It was found that users of individual transport have access to a greater number of jobs than users of public transport. In addition, those with higher income have better accessibility than those with lower income, even though they are not beneficiaries of tariff subsidy policies. Another highlight is that areas closer to the central region are also more accessible. In some specific communes, it would be indicated to seek to improve access through public transport, or the implementation of some public policy at the municipal level that could have an impact on access to opportunities.