Towards horizontal and vertical equity of sports facilities: An assessment of accessibility under multiple transportation modes

Introduction: Sports facilities provision is a prioritized topic in public health. Equity has been a primary concern when the majority focused on spatial allocation and accessibility assessments with unsystematic equity analysis. Transportation is a critical element causing mobility constraints in megacities, where underlying inequities have been observed in accessibility under multiple transportation modes. This research provides insights into distributional injustice in high-density cities and contributes to promoting public health and mitigating social inequities. Methods: This study measures horizontal and vertical equity based on the accessibility of sports facilities in Shanghai under multiple transportation modes using WebAPIs at different thresholds. For equity analyses, the Gini coefficient and bivariate spatial autocorrelation are used to assess spatial equity citywide and compare differences between social groups. Results: The findings reveal: (1) an intensified central-periphery pattern, with 80 %∼90 % of high-accessibility areas concentrated in central districts; (2) horizontal inequity with an overall Gini coefficient above 0.6 and central districts mostly below 0.2, showing great regional disparities; (3) severe vertical inequity in disadvantaged areas where the underprivileged group suffers from a higher unequal situation than intermediate and privileged groups. Equity performs the worst at the 5-min threshold. Vertical inequity generally surpasses horizontal inequity. Conclusions: Both horizontal and vertical inequity of sports facilities in Shanghai is adding pressure on public health. Through the continuous efforts of preferential policies for the underprivileged, enhanced public transport and community-level services, horizontal equity is expected to improve by 7.8 % by 2030.