Evaluating perceived accessibility to workplace and shopping destinations in informal urban communities in Ghana and Tanzania

Abstract

Transport-related accessibility is important, as it enables individuals to live their daily lives and travel to activity destinations they value. Access to valued opportunities is a prerequisite to address social inclusion and quality of life. Unlike conventional accessibility measures, perceived accessibility focuses on the perceived possibilities and ease of engaging in preferred activities using different transport modes. Perceived access to essential destinations such as workplaces and shopping, and its integration with objective measures are severely under-studied in sub-Saharan African cities. Kumasi-Ghana and Dar es Salaam-Tanzania offer an ideal case for investigating the effects of accessibility to workplace and shopping destinations in the context of informal urban communities. This study measures perceived accessibility, determines its comparability to objective measures, and examines the underlying socio-demographic factors to better understand the factors influencing commuters' perceptions of accessibility. Our findings established a relationship between perceived and objective accessibility to workplaces and shopping in both cities. Commuters' ratings of accessibility in Dar es Salaam-Tanzania were lower than those from Kumasi-Ghana. This was in agreement with higher travel times to these destinations in Dar es Salaam-Tanzania compared to Kumasi-Ghana. We found that the decreasing order of influence on travel perception in both cities is travel characteristics, community transport, and the built environment. Also, the decreasing order of impact on travel is travel cost, time, and frequency, highlighting travel cost as the primary concern for residents in both cities. Relatedly, the decreasing order of influence on travel perception is comfort, satisfaction, and success in Kumasi-Ghana whereas in Dar es Salaam-Tanzania it is travel success, satisfaction, and comfort. The findings establish similarities between commuters' subjectively determined accessibility and the established objective measures (e.g., travel cost, time, etc.).