In the spatial analysis lab, my group observed the presence of gas stations within Edwardsville. We wanted to analyze how where the gas stations in Edwardsville are in the town reflect certain areas of Edwardsville based on things like who lives there and the question of why certain areas have more gas stations than others.
We were able to observe that all but three gas stations in Edwardsville were placed along Route 159, which is a main road in Edwardsville. The other three that were not on 159 were on Route 157 which is the other main road in Edwardsville.
Reasoning for this could be based on where most traffic is in Edwardsville. Most businesses/ restaurants are also along either state route 157 or 159 which makes sense as to why the gas stations would be here too.
My observations have not impacted how I see the town of Edwardsville because this is something that I was expecting to find just based on what I previously knew about where the main foot traffic is in Edwardsville. Based on where the gas stations are in relation to campus does kind of hurt the students. None of these places are far necessarily, but still having one on campus would improve flow of revenue on campus 100%.
The place of the gas stations might affect commuters or staff members who commute based on how much time there is to drive, or even traffic. Going to a gas station that is far from campus puts a hurt on time when commuting.
I am not sure how this problem could be changed to combat spatial injustice. All I can think of is to place a gas station closer to campus but I’m sure there would be problems arising from that too.