Versatility in Interpreting the Notion of Accessibility: the Case of Secondary Schools in Moscow

Abstract

The accessibility of social infrastructure is a key concept in measuring the quality of the urban environment and living conditions. However, it is hard to define accessibility objectively. This article, based on the Moscow secondary education system, reveals three groups of stakeholders who rely on their own notion of accessibility in their daily routines. Firstly there is the Moscow Committee for Architecture and Urban Planning, who normatively regulates the processes of urban planning in the city. Its vision for the accessibility problem is based on the concept of locally enclosed neighborhoods. Secondly there are collective “customer” interests represented by the students and their parents. We examine their perspective from two points of view: based on their community affiliation and based on their personal capabilities. The third stakeholder is represented by The Moscow State Department of Education, which has an economic interest in the problem of accessibility regulation. Current department policy is to stimulate competition among schools but the persistence of economic inefficiency of some of them requires institutional regulation. Finally it is speculated that an emerging conflict of interest can be mitigated by applying legal instruments of strategic planning. The article is based on a study conducted by the author 2014–2015 using statistical and spatial analysis, supplemented with 3 semi-structured interviews with representatives of three Moscow schools to verify conclusions.