On the Efficiency of Underground Systems in Large Cities

TL;DR

This paper analyzes how underground systems in London and Paris affect city accessibility, revealing distinct patterns and quantifying their impact on improving access to various locations.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of underground systems' effects on accessibility in two major cities, highlighting structural differences and their implications.

Findings

London's accessibility is influenced by bridges and parks.

Underground systems generally increase city accessibility.

Distinct accessibility patterns are observed between London and Paris.

Abstract

We report an analysis of the accessibility between different locations in big cities, which is illustrated with respect to London and Paris. The effects of the respective underground systems in facilitating more uniform access to diverse places are also quantified and investigated. It is shown that London and Paris have markedly different patterns of accessibility, as a consequence of the number of bridges and large parks of London, and that in both cases the respective underground systems imply in general increase of accessibility.