NO. 166. EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF LARGE-SCALE TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS ON JOB ACCESSIBILITY IN CRETE, GREECE
Stefanos Tsigdinos, Theodore Tsekeris 2026.
Job accessibility plays a vital role in enhancing commuting flows and integrating local labour markets. For this reason, public authorities often invest in large-scale transport infrastructure projects to improve accessibility for workers and visitors. Nonetheless, such improvements may raise important questions about the spatial distribution of benefits delivered. This study probes how these projects affect job accessibility at the submunicipal level, focusing on the island of Crete in Greece.
Three major transport project scenarios are evaluated, as well as combinations of them: (1) the (ongoing) construction of a new motorway network, (2) a new international airport in Heraklion and an associated motorway linking several municipal units with this airport, and (3) a hypothetical railway line traversing most of the island’s surface. The analysis draws on detailed data originating from the National Census and employs advanced GIS-related techniques and accessibility indices based on a gravity model to evaluate job access for various building types as employment opportunities. Equity is assessed at both horizontal and vertical dimensions, incorporating Gini, Palma and concentration indices as well as spatial autocorrelation analysis.
The results show that, while the projects significantly enhance job accessibility, the benefits are unevenly distributed, with notable disparities between the island’s eastern and western parts. Nevertheless, multimodal solutions based on rail and improved motorway options favour equity in the region. These findings can offer valuable insights for policymakers, planners, and investors, by highlighting the need for integrated and inclusive transport strategies that consider multi-scale impacts and diverse mobility needs.
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