Analysis of The Location Suitability of Sports Facilities in Seoul

Purpose: The main goal is to analyze the spatial distribution of public sports facilities in Seoul and evaluate accessibility disparities across different regions and facility types. This analysis seeks to identify areas with significant imbalances in accessibility, providing insights for policy and infrastructure development to address these inequalities. Research design, data, and methodology: The study uses the gravity potential model and Z-score analysis to assess the accessibility of public sports facilities in Seoul. The gravity potential model examines how a facility's location and capacity influence its accessibility, while Z-score analysis identifies variations in accessibility across different regions and facility types. Results: The results show significant regional imbalances in the accessibility of public sports facilities in Seoul, with high accessibility in the downtown area and low accessibility in the southwest and southeast. While disparities across facility types are generally minimal, specific regional inequalities exist, such as poor accessibility for baseball fields in downtown and northeast areas, and for gate-ball fields in the southwest and southeast. Conclusions: The following policy implications are suggested: (1) public sports facilities should be made more accessible; (2) local school sports facilities must be utilized; and (3) public sports facilities must be upgraded.