Measurement of Accessibility to Job Locations in the Socially Excluded Areas of Calabar Metropolis, South-South Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examined the level of access to urban jobs by the socially excluded poor neighbourhoods of Anantigha and Nyangasang with a view to addressing the job-residence balance in Calabar. It estimated the number of accessible jobs by commute distances and number of daily trips. A questionnaire and travel diary survey was used to obtain primary data from residents using the stratified sampling technique. The data was analysed using kernel density estimation (KDE) which adopts a nonparametric approach in estimating probability density function of random variables, in this case the number of jobs located per 1000m2. The study observed that the average commute distance to lowpaying neighbourhood jobs is 2km. Furthermore, the location of low paying informal jobs is determined largely by accessibility options in the city. However, the reality of this available transport options and indeed the land use pattern does not favour the low-income group and thus become a constraint to their access to jobs. The unavailability of population data in GIS format at enumeration resolution, in the study area, remains a challenge for future urban studies of this nature. The location of employment for the socially excluded communities can become a factor in the planning of public transportation that is reliable, safe and accessible to these urban residents.