Neighborhoods as service providers: a methodology for evaluating pedestrian access

Research on neighborhoods is dominated by a focus on the social aspects of neighborhood life. The ability of neighborhoods to function as service providers is a critical and understudied aspect of neighborhood research. This paper offers a methodological contribution of the analysis of neighborhoods as service providers. Provision of services is defined in terms of accessibility, or the spatial proximities between residents and the facilities. Because the focus is on neighborhoods, access is defined on the basis of the pedestrian rather than the automobile. In addition, the needs of the neighborhood population are considered. A case study of Portland, Oregon, is used to demonstrate how an evaluation of pedestrian access could be conducted at the neighborhood scale.