Abstract
In this presentation, I share findings from two projects examining the ways that travel network analysis provides a critical lens for urban inequality research. The first explores the influence of network design and the importance of shortest-path distances for computing spatial segregation measures. Leveraging graph-theoretic measures and computational inference, I show that racial
segregation in most metro areas is statistically larger when measured via travel network distances rather than Euclidean distances–especially when the networks share design characteristics like circuity and lack of meshedness. Following, I describe an NIH-funded project studying the equitable and efficient distribution of opioid overdose resources. By combing location-choice and location-allocation models, I outline a framework public health officials can use to make informed decisions about siting scarce resources under different assumptions about travel behavior or changing population structure in the future. I conclude by describing the ways that distributing research in the form of open-source software contributes to greater scientific progress and improved accountability in public policy.
Elijah Knaap is an Assistant Professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy at UC Irvine, a faculty affiliate with the UCI Center for Population Inequality and Policy, and a core software developer for the PySAL and QuantEcon open-source ecosystems. His work focuses on the development and application of novel techniques in spatial data science, particularly toward the study of social inequality, neighborhood context, and urban structure. His rearch has received support from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Dept of Housing and Urban Development, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Urban Institute, the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy, and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, among others. He serves on the North American Regional Science Council and as Secretary of the Northeastern Regional Science Association.