Using Open Source Data to Identify Transit Deserts in Four Major Chinese Cities.

Area of Science:

• Urban Planning
• Transportation Geography
• Public Policy

Background:

• Transit deserts, defined as areas with inadequate public transportation access, are a growing concern in urban environments.
• Existing research on transit deserts primarily focuses on developed countries, leaving a significant knowledge gap regarding their prevalence in rapidly urbanizing nations like China.
• Understanding transit accessibility is crucial for ensuring equitable mobility and access to opportunities for all urban residents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and analyze the spatial distribution of transit desert areas within four major Chinese cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, and Chengdu.
• To compare the characteristics of transit deserts in Chinese cities with those found in developed countries, particularly the United States.
• To investigate potential factors contributing to the formation and extent of transit deserts in the Chinese urban context.

Main Methods:

• Utilized open-source data to map and quantify transit desert extents in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, and Chengdu.
• Analyzed the spatial concentration of transit deserts, distinguishing between urban centers and suburban areas.
• Assessed the transit-dependent population residing within identified transit desert zones.

Main Results:

• Transit deserts in the studied Chinese cities are predominantly located in central urban areas, contrasting sharply with their typical suburban distribution in the US.
• Shanghai exhibits the highest number of residents living in transit deserts, followed by Beijing, Chengdu, and Wuhan.
• Chengdu has the smallest transit desert areas, with Shanghai, Wuhan, and Beijing having progressively larger ones.

Conclusions:

• The findings suggest that an oversized transit-dependent population coupled with incomplete transit systems contributes to transit deserts in these Chinese cities.
• Differences in population density, travel preferences, and transportation investment policies between Chinese and American cities likely explain the divergent spatial patterns of transit deserts.
• This study underscores the critical need to address the disparity between public transit demand and supply in China's major urban centers.