Spatial multicriteria methodology for the selection of low-income and labor market accessibility projects (Illinois).

摘要

Following the passage of welfare reform legislation in 1996, a number of low-income worker accessibility programs were implemented to offset the spatial disconnections between jobs and home locations. Several such strategies have now been undertaken in different locations nationwide. The consideration and administration of access-to-jobs solutions rest with different governmental agencies and stakeholders in a given urban area. There are three strategies for overcoming the spatial mismatch between jobs and home locations: (1) bring jobs closer to low-income neighborhoods; (2) bring affordable housing solutions near to employment generating areas; and (3) provide transportation connections between jobs and housing. For effective and holistic solutions to the low-income worker accessibility solution, a system integrating information supporting all three strategies is fundamental in order to identify sub-regions that are likely to benefit most from a particular strategy.; To facilitate the planning and development of effective cross-sectoral strategies, a Spatial Decision Support System that ties together a Geographic Information System---with data from the transportation, affordable housing, and economic development sectors---and a Multi-Criteria Decision (MCDM) tool were developed. An interview of urban geospatial data managers in relevant sectors in the Chicago area drove the data requirements of the integrated system. Furthermore, a multi-criteria survey using the Analytical Hierarchy Process methodology identified the differences in problem conceptualization. These two strategies were the foundation for the design of the Spatial Decision Support System presented in this dissertation.; In order to test the benefits of the proposed Spatial Decision Support System methodology, the research concludes with a case study implemented in the south of the six-county Chicago region; an area in need of Labor Market Accessibility solutions.