Geometric accessibility as a complementary variable to geographic accessibility in the study of spatial inequality in the Municipality of Metepec, State of Mexico

Inequality in access to urban services exacerbates social segregation and constrains the spatial integration of people with the resources distributed across the territory, thereby limiting their opportunities to benefit from them. Various approaches have been utilized in the study of spatial inequality. Traditionally, geographical indicators have been widely employed in conjunction with indices of marginalization and lag. It is crucial to explore robust methodological alternatives in situations where data is scarce or insufficiently robust for scientific study. This paper proposes the use of geometric accessibility as a complementary alternative to geographic accessibility, employing the set of theories and methods of space syntax to expose spatial inequality in the municipality of Metepec, State of Mexico. The significance of this approach lies in its capacity to highlight spatial inequality in an environment where data on marginalization and lag exhibit inconsistencies at the scale of a homogeneous area. Geographic accessibility was measured based on the availability of basic health and education facilities at the homogeneous area level. Conversely, geometric accessibility was calculated by applying the road network, considering the integration variable of space syntax. The results obtained reveal congruence between the geometric and geographic accessibility metrics, indicating that both approaches complement accessibility analysis. The values generated by space syntax consistently reflect accessibility conditions traditionally assessed using location-based methods. In conclusion, these findings support the proposal to employ both perspectives to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of physical accessibility and highlight spatial inequality.