Social disadvantage and the public mobility provision: A socio-spatial GIS analysis of mobility-related exclusion risks in Cologne, Germany

For socially disadvantaged people, public mobility services are a basic prerequisite for social participation. In local politics and public transport planning, issues of mobility-related social disadvantage and the socio-spatial differentiation of participation opportunities have to date received little attention as an approach to reduce social inequalities in cities. This study aims to provide a suitable basis for such an approach. By undertaking a spatial GIS analysis, GTFS timetable data was intersected with socio-spatial data on 100x100-metre grid cells to obtain a high-resolution picture of mobility-related inequalities in Cologne, Germany. Although no evidence of a structural mobility-related under- or overprovision of individual population groups was found, the results show that 31 % of Cologne’s population live in urban areas that have an increased potential risk of mobility-related exclusion due to a critical combination of characteristics, including below-average public transport provision and an above-average proportion of the population receiving social benefits. Finally, a total of 49 spatial risk clusters were identified and described in the study area, enabling an individual characterisation of the affected areas and hence providing a possible basis for the development of specific solution strategies as part of further research.