The Last Mile Is Not the Same for Everyone
"A study of how distance, transport cost, waiting time and infrastructure quality combine to shape access to work and education."
Context
A study within the Urban Mobility area of Dr. Okafor's wider research on daily mobility and access to opportunity, conducted in Lagos, Abuja over 2026 (ongoing).
The Question
"How does daily mobility shape access to opportunity in fast-growing cities?"
Hypothesis
The final stretch of a journey — the 'last mile' between a transit stop and a destination — carries a disproportionate share of a journey's cost, and that cost falls unevenly across neighbourhoods.
Method
Data
Mobility Diary Sample
12,480 recorded journeysInfrastructure Quality Index
212 wards scoredHousehold Opportunity Survey
1,860 householdsFindings
The last mile of a journey is where infrastructure gaps concentrate most sharply.
PRELIMINARY CONFIDENCEWhat We Know / What We Still Don't Know
Early field analysis suggests the last mile is not a minor add-on to a journey — it behaves like a distinct, harder journey of its own.
How much of this effect is specific to Lagos and Abuja, and whether it holds once the full sample is analysed.
Publication
This study has not yet produced a publication record.