Achievements and Issues of Studies on Accessibility Relating to Quality of Life: Trends Since the 1980s

Abstract

Accessibility is regarded as a representative component of the quality of life (QOL), a concept used to evaluate the living conditions from various perspectives, including personal wealth, welfare, culture and environment. The trends of modern society, such as regional and personal difficulties in accessing various resources and opportunities caused by objective characteristics of living environment as well as individual socioeconomic status, and the development of information and communication technology (ICT) has diversified the techniques and targets of accessibility studies. Based on these, this paper reviewed the achievements and issues of studies that have been conducted since the 1980s on accessibility in daily lives. Consequently, we pointed out the following: first, urban and transport studies played a major role in accessibility studies focusing on mobility, and a set of analytical dimensions called the 5Ds was introduced. Second, medical geography contributed to studies focusing on the properties of destinations, such as spatial distribution, amount and type of resources, and opportunities. Novel accessibility measures accounting for the balance of supply and demand were developed and applied to various studies. Third, accessibility studies concerning individual attributes have diversified. Finally, some studies included future situations, intangible objects, or unfavorable places in their analyses. Further studies are needed to confirm the potential of these analytical methods, the potential for the application of existing research to policy, and discuss accessibility in relation to future social change. It is also important to discuss the differing individual values of accessibility to deepen our understanding of QOL.