Bestemming : Beurs

Spatial mismatch is a hypothesis developed by the late J.F. Kain in 1968 to describe the housing situation in many Midwestern cities in the United States. Over the years the hypothesis has transformed into theories relating to sociology and some recently relating to transportation. In some circles it is believed that transportation mismatch exists more in cities due to citizens lacking access to their transportation infrastructure. But this infrastructure is severely limited by its modes which are narrowed down to basically just roads. So would transportation mismatch exist if a multimodal network of transportation options existed? That is the main question this study is attempting to discover. The city of Rotterdam, Netherlands has been chosen for its diverse transportation infrastructure, unique spatial structure compared to other Dutch cities and large amount of job seekers. In this study the impact of public transportation access and its role in preventing spatial mismatch especially in areas of lower socioeconomic status will be measured. To accomplish this task, qualitative interviews will take place with researchers and riders of Rotterdam?s Metro system. There will also be a quantitative study done using the gravity model which will provide the scores necessary to judge the accessibility of both public and private transportation in various postcodes in Rotterdam and surrounding municipalities. Through this study it was found that areas of highest accessibility fell within the City Center, yet many districts close to the inner city were left with poor accessibility despite their very good location. These neighbourhoods were also found to be in already deprived areas of the city. The communities seemed to be experiencing the symptoms of spatial mismatch but there did not seem to be a solution put into place to prevent the problem. Other distant and more affluent neighbourhoods with high car ownership had no problem with spatial mismatch. Granting car ownership to more of the residents would seem like a good idea but the income of the neighbourhoods made it difficult for that to become a reality. Providing better access to the Metro line would also be an alternative, yet some of these communities were spatially divided from the Metro line by roads, canals or simply distance. There must be a solution to the problem though. What was found through the research is that in some troubled districts with low car ownership, low income and spatially divided from the Metro line a housing strategy was able to clean up the neighbourhood. This strategy built middle class homes in deprived neighbourhoods in the location furthest from public transport access. This modernisation of the neighbourhood prevents lower income groups from expanding further from their public transport options and provides the roads with residents who will access them. Accessibility to public transport can have a positive effect on lower income communities but that access is severely limited if the neighbourhood?s spatial structure is built more for private transport than public. Keywords: Spatial Mismatch, Transportation, Accessibility, Automobile, Socioeconomic Status