Multimodal spatial accessibility to the primary and secondary education network: case study Bucharest-Ilfov Region

Abstract: Education is, or at least should be, a daily activity for the entire youth population. Given the clear role of education in human capital construction, the study of spatial accessibility to educational facilities is an important research subject. The present paper examines the multimodal spatial accessibility to the primary and secondary school network in Bucharest-Ilfov region, one of the most demographically and residentially dynamic regions of the country. By using 1 km2 population grid data and geocoded locations of school units, a travel time isochrone analysis has been computed for three modes of transportation: walking, private car and public transport, by using GIS analysis. All travel times have been calculated for five threshold intervals: 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 minutes and linked to the distribution of the school-age population. Results show that the school network broadly follows the spatial pattern of the youth population and that most children can reach the closest school within 10 minutes by all three transport modes. However, pronounced intra-metropolitan inequalities exist. Bucharest displays a compact configuration, with the vast majority of pupils located within a 5- to 10-minute travel time. At the same time, Ilfov County shows a more dispersed pattern, with a considerable number of school units requiring over 20 minutes to reach, especially when relying on public transport or walking. These findings highlight how rapid suburbanisation and uneven transport provision generate spatial disparities in effective access to compulsory education units, and underline the need to integrate school location planning into transport and housing policies.

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Permalink (doi) http://dx.doi.org/10.5719/hgeo.2025.192.2

Angelo-Andi Petre, Alexandra Cioclu*
Faculty of Geography, University of Bucharest, Romania
* Corresponding author
Email: cioclu.alexandra@s.unibuc.ro

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