Assessing Spatial Equity Accessibility to Educational Services in the Study Area of District 18 in Tehran

Introduction: Unequal urban development, often resulting from the absence or neglect of comprehensive planning, has led to disparities in access to essential services among city residents. Educational services are among the most vital urban amenities, playing a crucial role in promoting sustainable development, reducing environmental pollution, and improving residents' quality of life. This study aims to assess students' accessibility to educational centers within the road network of District 18 in Tehran. By analyzing the spatial distribution of schools (supply) and student populations (demand), the research identifies underserved areas to inform strategies for enhancing educational equity. The focus is on evaluating spatial equity from the perspective of students’ access to educational facilities.
Materials and Methods: The study defines a spatial equity index based on two primary criteria: the quality of educational center locations and the quality of access. The location quality considers factors such as placement relative to prohibited or hazardous zones and proximity to complementary land uses. Notably, internal attributes of educational centers—such as building condition, facilities, lighting, teaching staff, teaching methods, or per-student area—are outside the scope of this analysis. Educational demand is estimated using demographic data at the block level. Access quality assumes that all populations are assigned to their nearest school within capacity constraints, with distances exceeding standard thresholds impacting accessibility. A key innovation involves incorporating pathway quality and safety factors—such as visual surveillance, mixed land uses, road width, and sidewalk presence—alongside distance measures when assessing spatial equity. In this study, maps related to various sub-criteria are first collected, then, their weights are assigned using analytic hierarchy process as an expert-based method, and finally, spatial equity index is calculated.
Results and Discussion: Analysis reveals that peripheral neighborhoods in District 18 experience lower levels of educational service coverage compared to central areas. Among these zones, Zone 3 (Yafteh Abad) exhibits the poorest conditions due to its dense organic street pattern and older infrastructure where educational facilities are primarily located on outskirts. Conversely, Zone 2 (Valiasr Town), a newer neighborhood with organized street layouts and better infrastructure, demonstrates higher accessibility levels. These findings highlight significant disparities in service distribution linked to neighborhood age and urban form.
Conclusion: The current spatial equity index for District 18 is calculated at 0.69, indicating a relatively favorable but improvable distribution of educational centers. This research underscores the importance of integrating location quality and pathway safety considerations into urban planning processes aimed at promoting equitable access to education. Such assessments can guide policymakers toward targeted interventions that foster more inclusive urban environments.



Furthermore, in urban development, the location of public services and its connection with the socio-economic characteristics of city neighborhoods has been neglected. The unfair distribution pattern within a city leads to increased class differences and segregation among human groups. The spatial inequalities and unfair distribution of services along with environmental problems at the city level are directly related. With population growth and horizontal and vertical expansion, cities are transformed into uninhabitable environments where many urban issues can be traced back to unfair distribution of urban services.



Achieving spatial equity in a city has long been a focus for urban planners, with the main goal being equitable distribution of space and related land uses for better access to urban amenities. Spatial equity is defined based on equal distribution of resources and services among urban areas. One of the most sensitive and complex land uses in cities is educational facilities which require careful attention to location planning and compatibility with neighboring uses as well as consideration for incompatible uses.



Proper location planning for schools at the city level can reduce household costs, decrease traffic congestion leading to reduced environmental pollution among other benefits. Analyzing the spatial concentration of urban services including educational services and how they are distributed is an important aspect of spatial equity in urban planning.



Access to educational services based on the characteristics and needs of target communities primarily relies on pedestrian access. Considering the young age group targeted by primary and secondary educational facilities, factors such as distance traveled by students from home to school play a crucial role in their comfort levels.



In conclusion, addressing spatial equity issues related to access to educational facilities requires careful consideration based on age groups of students at different levels as well as factors such as population density, service coverage area, educational levels offered by institutions, and gender distribution among learners.

The present study aims to evaluate and determine the fair distribution of educational facilities in district 18 of Tehran. In this research, spatial equity is defined based on two criteria: the quality of establishment of educational centers and the quality of access to these centers. Each of these criteria is defined based on several sub-criteria. Using multi-criteria decision-making methods, particularly Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the criteria and their corresponding weights are determined based on the opinions of experts, and a spatial equity map for the study area is prepared. This study has two innovations; the first innovation is that while previous studies mainly focus on evaluating spatial equity based on administrative boundaries of urban areas and ultimately at the neighborhood level, this study examines spatial equity at a finer scale, focusing on blocks and urban parcels due to the vastness and heterogeneity in land development and population density. The second innovation is that in previous research, access criteria were defined solely based on distance, without considering factors such as road quality, safety for pedestrians, and attractiveness of streets. In this study, these factors will be considered in evaluating spatial equity.