Assessing Spatial Equity in Green and Essential Service Infrastructure: A GIS-Based Analysis of Malmö, Sweden
(2026) SGEM08 20261Department of Human Geography
- Abstract
- This thesis tries to examine distributional spatial equity in accessibility to green infrastructure and essential services across DeSO areas in Malmö municipality, Sweden, in 2022. The study investigates how accessibility varies spatially in relation to public parks, public transport stops, schools, and healthcare facilities, and evaluates whether accessibility advantages and disadvantages are distributed equitably across neighbourhoods. The research is grounded in theories of spatial justice, urban equity, and accessibility, which emphasise equitable access to urban opportunities within sustainable cities. The study applies a GIS-based spatial analysis framework using buffer-based proximity modelling within a 400-metre walking threshold.... (More)
- This thesis tries to examine distributional spatial equity in accessibility to green infrastructure and essential services across DeSO areas in Malmö municipality, Sweden, in 2022. The study investigates how accessibility varies spatially in relation to public parks, public transport stops, schools, and healthcare facilities, and evaluates whether accessibility advantages and disadvantages are distributed equitably across neighbourhoods. The research is grounded in theories of spatial justice, urban equity, and accessibility, which emphasise equitable access to urban opportunities within sustainable cities. The study applies a GIS-based spatial analysis framework using buffer-based proximity modelling within a 400-metre walking threshold. Accessibility indicators were calculated for 192 DeSO areas using OpenStreetMap-derived infrastructure data together with Statistics Sweden population and socio-demographic data. Composite accessibility indices were constructed for green infrastructure, essential services, and overall accessibility. Spatial inequality was assessed using Gini coefficients, while Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) were used to examine spatial clustering patterns. The findings reveal substantial variation in accessibility across Malmö. Park and transit accessibility are comparatively high and widely distributed, whereas school and healthcare accessibility display greater fragmentation and inequality. The Green Accessibility Index demonstrates relatively even access to green infrastructure, while the Essential Services Accessibility Index reveals uneven neighbourhood-level accessibility patterns. The Overall Accessibility Index identifies a clear centre–periphery structure, with central areas experiencing stronger combined accessibility and peripheral areas more likely to experience cumulative accessibility disadvantage. The inequality and clustering analyses further demonstrate that accessibility disadvantage is spatially organised rather than randomly distributed. The study concludes that Malmö’s sustainability-oriented urban development coexists with neighbourhood-level distributional spatial inequality, particularly in relation to essential service accessibility. Overall, the thesis demonstrates the value of multidimensional spatial accessibility analysis for understanding urban equity and spatial justice. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9231072
- author
- Ellahi, Faizan LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SGEM08 20261
- year
- 2026
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Spatial equity, Spatial justice, Accessibility, Green infrastructure, Essential services, GIS, Urban inequality, Malmö, Urban sustainability
- language
- English
- id
- 9231072
- date added to LUP
- 2026-06-04 11:56:58
- date last changed
- 2026-06-04 11:56:58
@misc{9231072,
abstract = {{This thesis tries to examine distributional spatial equity in accessibility to green infrastructure and essential services across DeSO areas in Malmö municipality, Sweden, in 2022. The study investigates how accessibility varies spatially in relation to public parks, public transport stops, schools, and healthcare facilities, and evaluates whether accessibility advantages and disadvantages are distributed equitably across neighbourhoods. The research is grounded in theories of spatial justice, urban equity, and accessibility, which emphasise equitable access to urban opportunities within sustainable cities. The study applies a GIS-based spatial analysis framework using buffer-based proximity modelling within a 400-metre walking threshold. Accessibility indicators were calculated for 192 DeSO areas using OpenStreetMap-derived infrastructure data together with Statistics Sweden population and socio-demographic data. Composite accessibility indices were constructed for green infrastructure, essential services, and overall accessibility. Spatial inequality was assessed using Gini coefficients, while Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) were used to examine spatial clustering patterns. The findings reveal substantial variation in accessibility across Malmö. Park and transit accessibility are comparatively high and widely distributed, whereas school and healthcare accessibility display greater fragmentation and inequality. The Green Accessibility Index demonstrates relatively even access to green infrastructure, while the Essential Services Accessibility Index reveals uneven neighbourhood-level accessibility patterns. The Overall Accessibility Index identifies a clear centre–periphery structure, with central areas experiencing stronger combined accessibility and peripheral areas more likely to experience cumulative accessibility disadvantage. The inequality and clustering analyses further demonstrate that accessibility disadvantage is spatially organised rather than randomly distributed. The study concludes that Malmö’s sustainability-oriented urban development coexists with neighbourhood-level distributional spatial inequality, particularly in relation to essential service accessibility. Overall, the thesis demonstrates the value of multidimensional spatial accessibility analysis for understanding urban equity and spatial justice.}},
author = {{Ellahi, Faizan}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Assessing Spatial Equity in Green and Essential Service Infrastructure: A GIS-Based Analysis of Malmö, Sweden}},
year = {{2026}},
}