Land-cover-based indicator to assess the accessibility of resources used in the construction sector

In this study, we developed an indicator for assessing local accessibility from quarries rather than global availability of resources used in the construction industry. This indicator reflects the impact of social factors on resource exploitation and expresses the space competition between built area and quarry based on land cover data. For a complete sustainability assessment, this social indicator should be used in conjunction with other environmental and economic indicators, such as the indicator on resource availability or the impact of the transportation. The validation of this accessibility indicator, with French and Swiss data, is performed both at national and regional levels. The results show that this new indicator is robust and reliable as similar local contexts provide similar results. Furthermore, it allows to understand the dynamics of the studied area in terms of human pressure on resource accessibility in a very fast and cost-efficient way.