Assessment of spatial equity of school and workplace locations from the perspective of source and destination: a case study in Poland

This study provides a comprehensive assessment of spatial disparities in transport accessibility to key urban services – kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, and workplaces – in Szczecin, Poland. Framed within the concept of spatial justice, the research examines how differences between public transport (PT) and private transport (PrT) influence both the level and equity of access to education and employment opportunities. The methodological approach combines cumulative accessibility measures with inequality metrics, including the Lorenz curve and the Gini coefficient. Accessibility was calculated for time thresholds ranging from 5 to 60 minutes, in 5-minute increments, using GTFS-based public transport data and Google Maps API data for car travel. The analysis incorporates age-differentiated population groups corresponding to specific trip purposes (3-6, 7-15, 16-18, and 19-65 years), enabling a socially grounded evaluation of spatial equity. The results reveal a clear and systematic advantage of private transport in both the extent and the equity of accessibility. The most pronounced disparities occur within the 20-30-minute travel time window, which is critical for daily school and work commutes. Public transport accessibility is strongly concentrated in central areas, while peripheral districts experience persistent deficits, particularly in access to workplaces and primary schools. Gini coefficients indicate higher inequality in PT than in PrT, with the greatest disparities observed in workplace accessibility. The findings highlight structural mismatches between residential areas, service locations, and the public transport network. They underscore the need for equity-oriented transport and urban planning policies to improve medium-range PT connections and reduce accessibility gaps in peripheral areas. Transport accessibility should be understood not only as a matter of efficiency, but also as a fundamental component of social equity and urban justice.