Assessing socio-spatial equity in access to coastal areas of Italian island cities

Coastal environments are integral to metropolitan regions, operating as strategic civic and socio-economic interfaces that underpin tourism, everyday wellbeing, and local economies. Despite their significance, ensuring equitable inclusion in coastal cities remains a persistent challenge. Research on socio-spatial equity has predominantly addressed access to essential urban infrastructures, (such as green spaces, healthcare, and transport networks) while the distributional and procedural fairness of access to coastal spaces has been comparatively under-examined. Italian island cities offer major coastal opportunities, but without intentional equity-oriented planning, existing disparities may deepen and comparative assessments across municipalities are also rare. This study develops a new comparative methodology to evaluate ingress efficiency to coastal enclaves in Cagliari and Catania. Using space syntax (DepthmapX 10), it analyses spatial configuration and the extent to which the built environment controls connections to preferred coastal areas, identifying barriers to socio-spatial parity and quantifying how accessibility can mitigate or amplify inequities. This high level of attention to detail, in its turn, yields quantitative results on how urban infrastructure accessibility is mediated, thereby relieving or enhancing disparities. The paper concludes with practical suggestions and strategic policy-oriented recommendations to foster fairer access to coastal spaces and strengthen social equity in coastal territories.