Better or Worse Job Accessibility? Understanding Changes in Spatial Mismatch at the Intra-urban Level in Medellín (Revise and Resubmit, Journal of Transport Geography)

With David Bernal and Gustavo García

Abstract: We analyze accessibility to jobs through different transportation modes and the extent of spatial job mismatch at the intra-urban level in Medellín –a developing-country city– from 2012 to 2017. We propose a methodology to calculate spatial mismatch and assess its evolution over time with incomplete data, using a combination of reported travel times from origin-destination surveys and estimated travel-time data from online mapping apps. We measure job accessibility by considering employment, travel times, wages, and transportation costs. Despite investment in public transportation and transport infrastructure, spatial mismatch in Medellín increased between 2012 and 2017, and it was larger for job seekers and workers using public transportation compared to those using private transport. The results also suggest that the greatest loss in job accessibility over time was by private transport, indicating that the expansion of public transport in Medellín may have slowed down the city’s spatial mismatch.