Methods for countering spatial inequality: Incorporating strategic opportunities for housing preservation into transit-oriented development planning (original) (raw)
Related papers
2016
The premise of this study is that an understanding of catalysts and impacts of social and economic change in the Los Angeles Metro Green Line study corridor and an analysis of current planning policies can help identify how future planning policies may generate more ideal and positive outcomes for the study corridor. This study evaluated the conditions within the transit corridor with four selected station areas defined by a onemile radius from each station. The stations that make up the transit corridor are along the Los Angeles Metro Green Line that runs east west between Redondo Beach and Norwalk. A mile radius buffer was chosen to fully capture the spacing between the stations linearly and use that to define the corridor's primary area of influence. This study evaluated the changes in demographic composition, housing affordability, transportation affordability and job accessibility within the Metro Green Line corridor between the year 2000 and 2010. Trends in the corridor revealed that over a ten-year span, the corridor saw shifts in demographic composition, growth in job and housing densities and increases in the cost of housing. Over the ten years, the corridor has not yet developed to the standards of a location efficient environment. This study recommends that protection of vulnerable populations such as the high proportion of renter-occupied housing units is important v because they are more likely to make up core transit riders that need public transportation. Preserving and building affordable housing near transit would enable households to save money on both transportation and housing expenditures and can work towards making the corridor more affordable. By understanding the three main variables in the context of social equity, a decision-maker can avoid the potential of negative gentrification, displacement, and promote economic viability in the corridor. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my thesis committee for taking the time to suggest directions that I could take in my thesis and for providing critical feedback. A special thanks goes to Dr. Cornelius Nuworsoo for continuing to push me to work hard on my thesis and for all of the hours he put into walking me through edits and critiques. Thank you to my family and friends for all of your continuous support. Thank you to all of my classmates in the program. This experience would not have been the same without all of you. I'm glad we all got to fight the good fight together. vii
Measuring Equity in Transit-Oriented Development: Application to Affordable Housing
2015
The purpose of this research is to find out how Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) can be measured, with a focus on affordable housing. TOD is characterized by higher density, mixed use and compact development within a walking distance from a transit station (ITDP, 2015). More specifically, this method of development includes: residential, commercial, retail, and recreational space, and is designed to create connections between transit, bicycles, and pedestrians as it radiates within a quarter to half a mile walking distance from its anchoring rail station (Ibid). However, like any other successful urban development initiative, TOD projects tend to cause an increase in land value leading to gentrification and displacement. As a result, prioritizing social equity as a key component of TOD implementation is an essential pathway for achieving equitable solutions to such projects. This in turn enhances the resiliency, safety, and inclusivity of cities as stated in goal 11 of the Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations. This paper therefore conducts research on monitoring and evaluating affordable housing as an equitable aspect of TOD in hopes of developing a monitoring and evaluation framework that can be applied by multiple organizations that possess an interest in measuring the impact of TOD projects. 10 Housing units that have one or more major and/or critical structural defects, but can still be repaired for a reasonable amount: Hobart and William Smith Colleges. 11 A range of land uses including residential, commercial, and light industrial to be co-located in an integrated way that supports sustainable forms of transport such as public transport, walking, cycling, thereby increasing neighborhood amenity. Web: http://www.healthyplaces.org.au/userfiles/file/Mixed%20Land%20Use%20June09.pdf 12 Compact development means that buildings, parking areas, streets, driveways, and public spaces are developed in a way that shortens trips, and lessens dependence on the automobile. Web:
The unaffordable city: Housing and transit in North American cities
Cities, 2018
This paper presents an empirical analysis of seventeen large American and Canadian metropolitan regions to look at geographies of affordability in transportation and housing. A pre-recession snapshot of frequent transit networks are mapped against housing cost, urban form and socioeconomic variables from census data, and the relationship of housing cost to transit access is tested visually, by descriptive statistics, and with logistic regression. The results show apparent contradictions: while there is great variance in transit access and housing cost between and across cities, transitscapes are consistently more racially diverse, higher density, and poorer than surrounding autoscapes; but, once income and racialization are held constant, there is a decreasing chance of access to transit as housing prices become more affordable. In other words, for many people, there is no affordable access. These paradoxes are interpreted with relevance to patterns of racial and economic geographies of land use and mobility, the dominance of postwar automobility, the suburbanization of poverty, and wealth inequality in North American cities. This research fills gaps in the transit-oriented urban form research, by pointing to the need to consider housing affordability; it also fills gaps in the transit-oriented gentrification research, by opening consideration to all types of transit, not just rail. The results can be compared to relationships of housing affordability and transit in other cities across the world, as there are important commonalities and differences in geographies of poverty and access. While American and Canadian cities are becoming more like international cities in the peripheralization of affordable housing and the mismatch between transit and lower income areas, North American autoscapes face unique challenges to extending public transit access to these peripheries. Understanding and attending to these inequalities of access to housing and transportation can better inform efforts of sustainable transformation through significant mode shift and affordable urban form intensification.
Transit Adjacent Development and Neighborhood Change in Houston
2019
This study explores how land use has changed between 2010 and 2016 in transit adjacent development (TAD) areas of Harris County, Texas, defined as census block groups within 1 mile of transit hubs—light rail stations, transit centers, and Park & Ride locations. Overall, we find that neighborhood changes in transit-adjacent neighborhoods are most dramatic in areas that are already experiencing or that are likely to experience gentrification. Even as they are changing, gentrifying TAD areas still have affordable homes that house residents with lower-incomes. But the possibility of potential displacement grows as development occurs and housing prices rise. Addressing potential displacement will require the creation of policies that give residents of all income levels the ability to live in transit-connected communities.
Landscape and Urban Planning, 2017
Like many urban areas around the world, Durham and Orange counties in North Carolina, USA are experiencing population growth and sprawl that is putting stress on the transportation system. Light rail and denser transitoriented development are being considered as possible solutions. However, local agencies and stakeholders are concerned the light rail may worsen housing affordability and have questioned whether investment in both light rail and dense redevelopment are necessary to achieve community goals. We developed an integrated system dynamics model to quantitatively explore the outcomes of these land use and transportation options across multiple societal dimensions. The model incorporates feedbacks among the land, transportation, economic, equity, and energy sectors. This paper uses the results of four model scenarios, run between 2000 and 2040, to address two main questions: (1) what role does redevelopment play in capturing the socioeconomic benefits of transit infrastructure investment? And (2) how do redevelopment and light-rail transit interact to affect housing and transportation affordability? We find that transit investment and dense redevelopment combine synergistically to better achieve the goals of the light-rail line, including economic development, mobility, and compact growth. However, housing affordability does worsen in the combined scenario, as transportation-cost savings are not sufficient to offset the rise in housing costs. We emphasize that model users may input their own assumptions to explore the dynamics of alternative scenarios. We demonstrate how spatially-aggregated systems models can complement traditional land use and transportation models in the regional planning process.
L.A. Story: A Reality Check for Transit-Based Housing
Journal of the American Planning Association, 1997
An increasingly influential planning strategy for leveraging rail transit is high-density residential development near rail stations, or ~r~n~it-Based Housing'~ Proponents argue such projects get more people onto trains, reduce developers' expenses, and lower commuting costs, housing prices, and air pollution in the bargain. While most of the literature has addressed the merit of such projects, this paper considers a separate question: Whatever virtues transit-based housing may have, what are its prospects7
2009
This study examined affordable housing locations in 20 metropolitan areas in the United States. Federally subsidized rental apartments were mapped in each area, and the distances from the apartments to transit stations were measured. The benefits and challenges of different affordable housing locations for residents ages 50 and older were investigated in depth for five of the areas. It was found that over 250,000 affordable apartments are location within 1/2 mile of public transit stations/stops in the 20 metropolitan areas studied, and almost 200,000 were located within 1/4 mile of transit stations/stops. However, over 2/3 of the subsidies will lapse within the next 5 years. Residents of compact neighborhoods with affordable housing received significant benefits from dense urban development. They lived near amenities and were able to take transit or walk to their destinations.
As many cities around the country adopt smart growth strategies for urban renewal, a new promise of efficient connectivity to many neighborhoods finally has the prospect of becoming reality. Although many of these improvements aim to connect lower income communities, many of the residents have yet to see the benefits of the development. Social equity planning is becoming increasingly important to ensure that those in low-income communities, who usually benefit from public transit the most, are adequately addressed in the transit planning process. This study will look at the importance of transportation planning on low-income residents and how improper planning can lead to increased poverty and increased inequality in many urban areas. This study will focus on the efforts underway in the San Diego region by examining specific examples of improper planning such as excessive trip duration times and inadequate access between low income communities and high employment zones. The hypothesis is that even though a city may incorporate social equity planning into its transportation strategy, implementation does not always follow in the final draft. A combination of empirical and ethnographic research will illustrate the specific issues facing many low-income residents throughout the San Diego region. This study seeks an understanding of the current hurdles involved in social equity planning and attempts to find recommendations to better overcome barriers to connectivity.
Sustainability and vulnerability: integrating equity into plans for central city redevelopment
Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability, 2011
Cities around the US are promoting redevelopment efforts in central city neighborhoods in order to foster more-sustainable development patterns. In this paper, we argue that such plans must be grounded in an assessment of the current conditions and existing populations in these neighborhoods. We propose a new way to frame plans for existing communities, using the concept of vulnerability to help us connect current conditions and future goals. Through a case study of the planning process for a transit-oriented redevelopment plan for a central neighborhood in Austin, Texas, we illustrate the difference between current approaches and an alternative approach.
An integrated analysis of housing and transit affordability in the Chicago metropolitan area
The Geographical Journal, 2021
An integrated analysis of housing and transport affordability provides comprehensive insights into the affordability of different locations in a city. By focusing on transit-based workers, who constitute a significant portion of commuters but are understudied in the affordability literature, this study proposes a new, integrated method for estimating housing and transit (H + T) affordability in the Chicago Metropolitan Area using census data and data from the Google Maps Directions API. Methodologically, the study contributes to the literature by proposing and implementing a new method that estimates H + T affordability in an integrated manner based on census data and data from the Google Maps Directions API across three types of housing occupants (i.e., owners with/without a mortgage and renters). Empirically, the results indicate varying H + T affordability distribution patterns among different types of housing occupants and provide a comprehensive picture of housing and transport affordability in the study area without incurring prohibitive time and cost of data collection. The study indicates that policy-makers should consider expanding the existing concessionary fare scheme to include low-income residents and establishing affordable housing programmes that subsidise not only mortgage/rent but also miscellaneous costs related to housing (such as utilities) in order to improve the overall H + T affordability for different types of housing occupants.