Oostveen, Damian (2022) Perceived accessibility: a comparative study between accessibility from a policy perspective and perceived accessibility in the northern Netherlands. Master thesis.
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Master Thesis EG Final version, Damian Oostveen S2934914.pdf Download (2MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Due to agglomeration benefits in urban areas, amenities located in rural areas often decide to concentrate in cities. This phenomenon in combination with a shrinking population could cause accessibility issues for remaining residents, possibly leading to social exclusion. Data has shown that in the Netherlands, average distances have increased the most in rural areas with a shrinking population last decade. Local governments are responsible to solve this issue but research has shown that accessibility policies often lack the implementation of the individual dimension, also known as perceived accessibility. Knowing how the accessibility issues from a policy perspective compare to the experience of residents contributes to the understanding of ‘perceived accessibility’ and could be insightful for other municipalities facing similar issues. By conducting interviews with policymakers in Groningen (Province), this research has shown the main challenges and proposed solutions for each municipality. Furthermore, these results are compared with an existing data set focusing on the experiences of residents, which reveals that a majority of municipalities are not in line with their residents. Het Hogeland and Eemsdelta, the northernmost municipalities, are overestimating the accessibility situation, and Midden-Groningen and Oldambt, the two central municipalities, are underestimating the situation. Only Pekela and Stadskanaal, the Southern ones, are in agreement with the residents. These findings argue that each municipality has and requires a unique accessibility vision, despite all being rural and located in the same area. Moreover, municipalities seem to struggle to determine the perceived accessibility and include it in policies, which tends to be a point of improvement for more governments.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Degree programme: | Economic Geography |
| Supervisor: | Pot, F.J. |
| Date Deposited: | 11 Oct 2022 13:57 |
| Last Modified: | 11 Oct 2022 13:57 |
| URI: | https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/4082 |
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