## [SCARP team publishes paper on equitable healthcare](/news/2026/scarp-team-publishes-paper-equitable-healthcare) ![Four people in profile, with orange gradient](/sites/default/files/styles/max_480w/public/announcement-images/2026-05/speakers-header.jpg.webp?itok=XGVZn-5t) May 21, 2026 Share- [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2F"e= "Share on Facebook") - [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?source=https%3A%2F%2F&text=:%20https%3A%2F%2F "Tweet") - [ ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2F&title=&summary=&source=https%3A%2F%2F "Share on LinkedIn") - [ ](mailto:?subject=&body=:%20https%3A%2F%2F "Send email") We're happy to celebrate a published paper in ScienceDirect by SCARP PhD student Amrit Tiwana and several SCARP co-authors, deep-diving the complicated world of equitable access to healthcare services. This work reflects contributions across the SCARP community, including a PhD student, a faculty member, a postdoc, and an alum. ### About ScienceDirect (click to expand) ScienceDirect is a leading online database for scientific, technical, and medical research. Operated by the academic publisher Elsevier, it provides access to millions of peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters covering physical sciences, life sciences, health sciences, social sciences, and humanities. [More about ScienceDirect](https://www.sciencedirect.com/) And now, introducing this SCARP team's published paper: ## Spatial and social inequities in access to essential healthcare services: ### a case study of a fast-growing, diverse Canadian city #### authored by Amrit Tiwana co-authored by Dr. Martino Tran, Dr. Christina Draeger, and Ben Mumford This paper looks at inequities in essential healthcare services, both caused by spatial and social factors. The study examines this in Surrey, BC, using public transit travel times and socio-demographic Census data to understand not just where access gaps exist, but who is most affected by them. Healthcare access is not evenly distributed across the city, and older adults, visible minority communities, and residents living in lower-density suburban and peripheral areas can be further disadvantaged when essential services and access to them through reliable transit are harder to reach. As primary author Amrit Tiwana puts it, > Accessibility is not only a transportation issue or a land use issue, but also an equity issue. If cities want to be inclusive and healthy, planning decisions need to account for how infrastructure and services are experienced by different communities in different places. #### Full abstract (click to expand) Access to healthcare services remains a persistent challenge, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations. Limited access results in lower service utilisation and worse health outcomes, hindering progress toward inclusive and sustainable cities. This study developed a novel methodological framework integrating high-resolution (1-km2) socio-demographic data from the 2021 Canadian Census with an advanced multimodal transport routing engine (R5) to assess healthcare access via public transit in Surrey, British Columbia – a fast-growing, diverse city. Using a 30-min travel time threshold, we computed destination-oriented (‘passive’) and origin-oriented (‘active’) accessibility to walk-in clinics, urgent care centres, and hospitals. Eco-intersectional multilevel modelling was applied to examine accessibility inequalities across intersectional strata, defined as areas with a high concentration of vulnerable populations based on age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income, and urbanicity (>vs. ≤ 400 people/km2). Overall, 319,402 (56.2%) residents could reach at least one healthcare facility within 30 min via public transit. Walk-in clinics were the most accessible, followed by urgent care centres and hospitals. Many vulnerable populations were concentrated near major urban centres, which generally had access to more facilities than the city's periphery and outer suburbs. Strata with a high concentration of females had higher odds of accessibility, while seniors and non-urban areas had lower odds. Access inequalities were most pronounced among senior visible minority communities living in non-urban areas. Equity-oriented planning and investments in sustainable transportation and healthcare infrastructure are required to close accessibility gaps. This scalable, open-data framework can inform inclusive urban policy and improve access to essential services for underserved communities. Image ![A heatmap showing areas of Surrey's population density](/sites/default/files/styles/original_image/public/2026-05/cos-population-density-heatmap.jpg.webp?itok=camPfYpZ) Shown: Population density in Surrey. High-density areas are concentrated in and around major urban centresAs primary author Amrit Tiwana comments: > This research shows that inequities in healthcare access are not just about distance or location, but about how social and spatial disadvantage intersect. For planning, that means we need to move beyond one-size-fits-all approaches and design cities and services that better respond to the needs of communities facing multiple forms of inequity. The methodological framework presented in the study offers policymakers a practical tool for evaluating the impacts of transport and infrastructure planning. The authors placed their findings in context, impressing upon us that "urban policy must identify and address the specific needs of vulnerable populations to meet the United Nations’ Sustainability Goal 11 (The Global Goals, 2024), which aims to improve the inclusivity and sustainability of cities". [Read the full article](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1353829226000341) ## About the authors Image ![Woman in grey cardigan among tree-filled area](/sites/default/files/styles/original_image/public/2026-03/amrit-tiwana-square.jpg.webp?itok=3ASWCOJo) ### Amrit Tiwana Amrit’s research examines the association between social and spatial inequities in healthcare accessibility and the burden of chronic diseases in Metro Vancouver, to develop evidence-based tools to guide equitable infrastructure planning. [More about Tiwana's research](/directory/amrit-tiwana "Amrit Tiwana") Image ![Martino, in grey suit among green neighbourhood](/sites/default/files/styles/original_image/public/2022-10/martino_tran_hr.jpg.webp?itok=CN09mCWY) ### Associate Professor Martino Tran Tran's research investigates the environmental, societal and ethical implications of new data, technology, and infrastructure in cities, applying complexity sciences and computational methods to the interdependencies between people, technology, and the built environment. [More about Dr. Tran's research](/directory/martino-tran "Martino Tran") Image ![Woman with pearl-like necklace](/sites/default/files/styles/original_image/public/2026-03/christina-draeger-2.jpg.webp?itok=_m9igXGO) ### Dr. Christina Draeger Trained as a climate scientist, mathematician, and data scientist, Christina aims to advance sustainable and equitable socio-ecological systems through modern quantitative approaches [More about Dr. Draeger's research](/directory/christina-draeger "Christina Draeger") Image ![Man in button-up shirt standing beside project poster](/sites/default/files/styles/original_image/public/2026-03/ben-mumford.JPG.webp?itok=YfhrVZ4N) ### Ben Mumford Mumford graduated from SCARP's MCRP program in 2022. His Studio project, "Shifting Toward Transit in Squamish", studied feasibility and offered policy recommendations. [Mumford's Studio project](https://scarp.ubc.ca/sites/default/files/2023-04/district_of_squamish_shifting_toward_transit_scarp_studio_final_report_2023_-_compressed.pdf) ## A thriving research collaborative at UBC SCARP UBC's School of Community and Regional Planning is a leader in both education and research. We're proud to celebrate the powerful insights of our students as they progress their research and give new insights to the world even while they're still students. [Some more student research projects](/student-research "Student research") - Research and projects ### Latest Related News - Posted on October 5, 2026 ## [SARP postdoc Keisha Maloney publishes paper about planning education](/news/2026/sarp-postdoc-keisha-maloney-publishes-paper-about-planning-education) - Posted on September 28, 2026 ## [Mike Hooper's article about the value of urban local government](/news/2026/mike-hoopers-article-about-value-of-urban-local-government) - Posted on September 21, 2026 ## [SCARP PhD Julia Kidder wins Peter Wall Award](/news/2026/scarp-phd-julia-kidder-wins-peter-wall-award) [VIEW MORE NEWS](/news)