Equity Evaluation of Residents’ Transit+Walk Accessibility to Sacramento Healthcare Facilities

Transportation barriers significantly impact equitable access to essential services, including healthcare, particularly among disadvantaged populations such as low-income individuals, people with disabilities, older adults, and communities of color. Recent studies indicate that millions of Americans delay medical care due to transportation challenges, with marginalized groups disproportionately affected. Public transit, a potentially viable mobility option for such communities, often suffers from inadequate infrastructure, irregular service, and limited connectivity to medical care centers. Since walking typically constitutes the first and last segments of transit trips, the quality of walking infrastructure also plays a crucial role in enhancing public transit accessibility. This study introduces a novel multimodal accessibility score that integrates transit access to the nearest healthcare facilities with the walkability of the surrounding areas. Using Sacramento, California, as a case study, this project evaluates the accessibility of healthcare facilities through non-automobile modes by answering the following research questions:

• How walkable are the areas surrounding healthcare centers?
• Are there significant spatial inequities in walkability with respect to socioeconomic factors?
• How accessible are healthcare centers via public transit?
• What is the combined accessibility of healthcare centers when considering both transit and walkability? (
• Is this combined accessibility equitable across different population groups, including transit-dependent vs. non-transit-dependent residents and urban vs. rural populations?

By addressing these questions, this research aims to provide actionable insights into the intersection of transit and pedestrian mobility, ultimately promoting equitable access to healthcare for underserved communities.