Urban access across the globe: an international comparison of different transport modes

Abstract Access (the ease of reaching valued destinations) is underpinned by land use and transport infrastructure. The importance access in transport, sustainability, urban economics increasingly recognized. In particular, provides a universal unit measurement to examine cities for the efficiency land-use systems. This paper examines relationship between population-weighted metropolitan population global areas (cities) using 30-min cumulative jobs 4 different modes transport; 117 from 16 countries 6 continents are included. Sprawling development with intensive road network American produces modest automobile relative their sizes, but lag behind globally transit walking access; Australian Canadian have lower access, better than cities; combining compact an highest Chinese European sizes. Hence density mobility co-produce access. finds increases populations sublinearly, so doubling results less double jobs. characterizes regions, countries, cities, significant similarities exist same country.