Current measures of jobs-housing balance, such as ratio analyses or theoretical minimum commutes, are limited. They fail to capture either the multidimensional opportunities for spatial interaction or the differential accessibilities to employment, given realistic commuting options. A more comprehensive view of spatiality in jobs-housing balance may be achieved by considering measures of spatial separation, such as those used in analyses of segregation patterns. The purpose of this study is to extend segregation measures for use in analyzing residential-workplace separation. A new index is designed that incorporates distance-decay concepts from research in location-based accessibility. Furthermore, development of these tools bridge previously unblended literatures in segregation indices and jobs-housing balance. Mathematical properties of the new index are demonstrated along with an analysis that shows the utility of the new measure for measuring jobs-housing balance.
Abstract