Operationalizing social justice theory in transport resource allocation

Source abstract

Equity in transport planning is increasingly recognized as vital to addressing disparities in resource allocation and accessibility. This study bridges theoretical social justice principles with operational decision-making by integrating four commonly discussed distributive justice theories—Utilitarianism, Rawls’ Egalitarianism, Prioritarianism, and Capabilitarian Sufficiency—into a bilevel bus frequency optimization model. The study introduces linearized equity-oriented formulations to reflect the distinct distributive principles of the justice theories. Justice theory-driven equity metrics are also proposed to evaluate the resultant distributive impacts using different ethical criteria. Using travel time as the initial unit of distribution, sensitivity analyses are performed on the revised Mandl network, followed by a case study using cumulative opportunity as a more dimensional accessibility measure applied to Canberra's southern suburbs. The results reaffirm how adopting different justice principles can lead to varying distributive outcomes and policy recommendations, further highlighting the importance of selecting appropriate equity frameworks based on specific policy objectives and broader societal goals. This research advances the operationalization of social justice theories in transport resource allocation, providing policymakers with a comparative framework to evaluate equity impacts and trade-offs. These trade-offs go beyond the efficiency-equity balance, extending to the trade-offs between different distributive principles or varying aspirations across different levels of planning.