The Department of Logistics is hosting a research seminar this coming Friday.

Presenter : Jacomien van der Merwe (SU Logistics)

Title : How tax administrative spatial data can be used for accessibility analysis to employment in the City of Cape Town

Time : 13:00 – 14:00, Friday 17th of March 2023

Location : MS Teams and Van der Sterr building 3022

Abstract:

South Africa has experienced a consistent increase in urbanisation over the last two decades. Firms locate in cities to reap the agglomeration benefits and individuals seek to maximise their utility by moving to urban areas to obtain access to more opportunities, in particular work opportunities. Higher population and densities contribute to higher productivity and growth with more than 80% of the global GDP being generated in cities. The lack of efficient public transport services and high congestion geographically reduces the job opportunity range of individuals which can either lead to higher commute cost or individuals having to move closer to job opportunities which then increases land rent close to jobs.

This research uses accessibility measures to determine the cumulative opportunities index for different regions within the City of Cape Town differentiated by industry type. It also indicates the inequality in accessibility by industry and income groups using a GINI index. The findings can be used by policy makers to assess how easy it is for workers to reach jobs within certain industries they seek work in and how congestion impacts on access to jobs. This provides insights into where transport investments should be located to increase access, increase the employment search space, and reduce inequality in accessibility which could drive further income inequality and unemployment.

The presenter will also elaborate on the different spatial data sources from the CSIR, National Household Travel Survey, TomTom and South African Revenue Services data utilised for this research.