Rural Service Area - Advantages and Limitations

The application of the methods will help planners to indicate areas with low access to urban facilities, goods and services. The methods can be helpful in determining areas with favourable location conditions, i.e. good accessibility.

Even though accessibility maybe improved, the income and purchasing power of people is a important determining factor with regard to accessibility. Accessibility can also be measured by the inability to purchase goods and services or the inability to make use things such as market information. Purchasing power, empowerment, literacy and other determining factors also impinge on the whole concept of availability and accessibility, not only distance relationships.