Modifiable Areal Unit Problem in Transit Accessibility Analysis

Abstract

This study aims to examine the effect of MAUP in relation to a spatial unit in transit accessibility analysis by example of Chuncheon city and verify the applicability of detailed living zone by comparing with traffic analysis zone based on administrative unit and grid-based spatial unit as alternative. As an example of Chuncheon City, the results of transit accessibility analysis on the three spatial units are as follows. First, in general, detailed living zone that takes into account local characteristics such as population distribution and public transportation infrastructure well reflect the transit accessibility of the study area. Second, the correlation analysis with population density confirms that the public transportation condition could be analyzed differently depending on a spatial unit. Third, the relationship between the aggregation level and the statistics derived from this study was generally well followed by that of the literature, but also represented the variable-specific characteristic of the MAUP effects. This study is meaningful in proposing not only the appropriate spatial unit for the transit accessibility analysis through comparative analysis of the different spatial units for the study area but also in suggesting theoretical background and statistical verification methods in selecting a spatial unit in future relevant studies. Further research is intended to verify the extensibility of the detailed living zone in transit accessibility analysis by applying various indicators other than walking accessibility and transit service area to diverse regions, such as large cities, small cities, and rural areas.