Analysis of accessibility in an urban mass transit node: A case study in a Bangkok transit station

Abstract

Urban mass transit is significant for the urbanization of cities, and the demand for public transit has increased rapidly in recent years. Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, is experiencing an imbalance between demand and supply. Bangkok is facing a transportation problem, particularly in terms of public transport. Accessibility is one of the issues that should be addressed as soon as possible, as it is one of the most important aspects of a transit station. However, there is little analysis of the accessibility of transit nodes. The aim of this paper was to analyze the characteristics of connectivity and accessibility of existing transit stations and station buildings based on the theory of space syntax. This paper selected three transit stations located in high-potential areas, which are the main hubs of public transit in each zone of Bangkok. The integration values of different stations were compared, and objective, quantitative, and graphical methods were used to evaluate the effectiveness of their internal series of spatial accessibility through spatial syntax-related professional software Depthmap, theoretical interpretation of the derived data and images, and exploration of their spatial structure layouts. Also, a spatial analysis of activities located along the connection routes was conducted using betweenness analysis in order to identify the interaction between activities and architecture space in the station building regarding transit connection behavior. The results will contribute to a better understanding of the accessibility of transit stations and the relationship between the architecture spaces and station facilities that affect accessibility for passengers.