Indicators of Socio-Spatial Transport Disadvantage for Inter-Island Transport Planning in Rural Philippine Communities

Abstract

This article seeks to identify areas of relative transport disadvantage within an archipelagic region of the Philippines, so its people can be privileged through the provision of faster inter-island journeys to support social inclusion. It assesses the constraints that limit travel between cities and townships by undertaking a small travel behavior survey and trip generation/distribution model across four population centres, to observe how physical isolation from larger centres of social confluence can be reflected by lower trip volumes and associated increases in risks of social exclusion. The article’s methodology makes use of limited information to identify where reductions in inter-island travel time can be proposed for people living in areas of greater relative transport, social and economic disadvantage, so that individual economic and personal travel opportunities can be made more accessible, reducing exclusion risks and promoting well-being.