Due to different spatial structures, two locations of the same importance can have different accessibility levels. The above figure presents three cases that compares the differences in accessibility of two locations according to the variations in the spatial structure.
- (A) Uniform distribution. For a spatial structure where locations are uniformly distributed, locations 1 and 2 have different accessibility levels, with location 1 being the most accessible. As distance (Euclidean) increases, location 1 has access to a larger number of locations than location 2. To access all locations, location 2 would require about double the traveled distance than location 1.
- (B) Clustering in central area. In this case, which is reflective of the distribution of urban populations, the number of locations that can be reached by location 1 increase rapidly and then eventually peaks. Location 1 has a clear accessibility advantage over location 2.
- (C) Clustering in periphery. Although the number of locations that can be reached from location 2 initially increases faster than for location 1, it catches up and is actually the most accessible, but by a lesser margin.