Beyond the Rankings: A Tract-Level Spatial Accessibility Analysis of Urban Livability in Fargo, North Dakota, United States

Source abstract

Aggregate livability indices consistently rank Fargo, North Dakota, among the most livable small-to-mid-sized U.S. cities, yet city-level scores obscure whether favorable average performance reflects equitable neighborhood-level access to essential amenities. However, evidence on whether favorable citywide livability rankings correspond to equitable neighborhood-level access in small- and mid-sized U.S. cities remains limited. To address this gap, this study conducts a tract-level spatial accessibility analysis in Fargo, examining access to grocery stores, healthcare facilities, and parks across 38 census tracts using road network-based nearest-facility assignment, a Composite Accessibility Index (CAI), and Gini coefficients. Results reveal that despite strong aggregate rankings, approximately 9700 residents (8.0% of the study-area population of 121,219) reside in the bottom composite accessibility quartile. Standard Gini coefficients ranged from 0.081 to 0.093, while population-weighted Gini coefficients were lower (grocery = 0.040; healthcare = 0.042; parks = 0.029; CAI = 0.029), indicating modest citywide inequality. Nevertheless, the worst-served peripheral tract recorded a CAI of 0, with network distances ranging from 6.9 to 7.8 miles across the three amenity types. A sensitivity analysis confirms robustness across threshold choices. These findings indicate that modest citywide inequality can coexist with localized accessibility disadvantages in peripheral tracts, supporting spatially disaggregated, equity-oriented livability assessment.