Community Impact & Economic Analysis of Light Rail Transit (original) (raw)

Light Rail and Land Use Change: Rail Transit’s Role in Reshaping and Revitalizing Cities

Journal of Public Transportation, 2014

Planners and policymakers often cite the tangible objective of land use change as a primary motivation and justification for an investment in light rail transit (LRT). But how has light rail performed with respect to achieving this goal? This paper reviews and synthesizes the previous literature on LRT and other rail rapid transit systems in North America, demonstrating that rail transit alone is not a primary driver of land use change and that six beneficial factors affect the ability of these systems to have a measurable impact on reshaping and revitalizing cities.

Impacts of Rail Transit Investments on Demographics and Land Use: 1990-2010

2017

This paper studies the changes in land use and population characteristics around station areas following the building of rail transit stations in 14 major cities in the United States from 1990 to 2010. It answers the question: how have investments in US rail transit made since the 1990s affected land use and demographics? It also looks at the specific effects of investments on population density, race, and ethnicity, means of transportation, median housing value, median household income, vehicle access share, occupations, and land use represented by the share of multifamily versus single-family housing. Using block group level US census data at three time periods and GIS boundary files from NHGIS.org, as well as the spatially-matched rail stations, this research looks at the 0.5-mile buffer around rail stations as its treatment area and the 1-mile buffer around it, excluding the treatment area, as its control zone. It uses a combination of longitudinal and cross-sectional data. For its quantitative analyses, it uses GIS analyses and panel regression analyses to determine the overall impact of rail transit investments as well as the impact on stations that are near versus those that are far from the Central Business District. An investment in rail transit leads to an increase in the share of workers commuting by public transportation and a decrease in median incomes around the station. The investment also brings about the growth in non-white population around central city stations, an increase in the share of public transit, a decrease in the proportion of telecommuters, and a drop in the car share in areas that are far from the CBD, and a decline in median household income in both areas. However, the investment has no significant effect on population density, housing value, the share of multifamily housing, vehicle access, race, ethnicity, and the employment structure near the stations. The results show that the new rail transit stations or systems have helped disadvantaged populations, but that rail investments have ambiguous impacts on development and growth around the stations.

Rail Transit Investments, Real Estate Values, and Land Use Change: A Comparative Analysis of Five …

Chapter One: Introduction I 1 Chapter Two: Theoretical Foundations and Literature Review 2 I 2 2 2.3 2 4 2.5 Summary Chapter Three: Wa2 Transit Access and Single-Family Home Prices 3 I 3 2 3.3 Three Light ?&ad Systems 3 4 Caveats and Conclusions Chapter Four: Rail Transit and Commercial Property Values 4 1 DataIssues 4 2 4 3 4.4 Summary and Caveats Chapeer Five: aail Transit Investments and Station Area h d Use Changes: 1965-1990 5 1 5 2 5 3 5 4

Light Rail Transit in Hamilton: Health, Environmental and Economic Impact Analysis

Social Indicators Research, 2012

Hamilton's historical roots as an electric, industrial and transportation-oriented city provide it with a high potential for rapid transit, especially when combined with its growing population, developing economy, redeveloping downtown core and its plans for sustainable growth. This paper explores the health, environmental, social and economic impacts of light rail transit, a component of the City of Hamilton's rapid transit initiative. It performs a comparative analysis with other major North American cities that have successfully implemented this form of mass transit. The analysis concentrates on three main areas: urban development and land values, health and environmental impact and socioeconomic factors. The results of the research on light rail transit (LRT) and its possible benefits indicate overwhelming support for the economic, health, environmental and social benefits of LRT, especially when compared to other forms of transit, including rapid bus and local transit schemes. According to the results, LRT in a medium sized, growing city such as Hamilton should be considered a viable and desirable transit option; a catalyst for transit oriented, high density, mixed use development; an economically sound investment opportunity, providing a return on investment to property owners, businesses and the municipality; and a catalyst for social change, improving the health, environment and connectivity of the community.

The short-term land value impacts of urban rail transit: Quantitative evidence from Sunderland, UK

Land Use Policy, 2007

Experience of light rail, metro and other urban rail transit schemes shows they can play a significant role in improving the attractiveness and quality of urban public transport. In terms of the high cost of rail transit systems, land value capture has drawn increasing attention as a result of its potential for funding public transport infrastructure. To evaluate its potential success, it is crucial to examine critically the impact of public transport on land value before approaching the question of land value capture.

Impact of Transit Line Extension on Residential Land Use. Abridgment

Transportation Research Record, 1977

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of zoning regulations in controlling residential land development in a community that is served by a new extension line of a high-speed rail rapid transit system. A mathematical model was established to determine the significant variables that explained the rapid development that took place in Quincy, a suburb of Boston. In the transit impact study, travel time, zoning policy and public transportation service variables were used in this model. Data was also collected for the period 1963-1973 and stratified by traffic analysis zone. The impact of transportation on each analysis zone was measured by the transportation service variables. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed on various linear and log-linear transformations for the variables. The mathematical model for the city of Quincy illustrated that residential land development will be stimulated by the construction of the new extension line of the rapid tra...

Land Value Impacts of Bus Rapid Transit

2008

D uring the last decade, bus rapid transit (Brt) has revolutionized regional transportation planning in much of the developing and developed world. Brt went from being a fringe transportation option used in a handful of Brazilian and australian cities to becoming a prominent mass transportation alternative for local and national governments. Brt is not a single concept; rather, it encompasses a variety of applications designed to improve the level of service of bus-based mass transportation to deliver comfortable, cost-effective mobility emulating rail transit (Wright and Hook 2007, 11). It relies on coordinated improvements in technology, infrastructure, and equipment to achieve quality service (u.s. general accounting office 2001). operationally, Brt applications can include buses running on exclusive rights-of-way with dedicated stations and preboarding fare payments, or buses operating in mixed traffic lanes on city arterials. arguably the Brt concept with highest recognition is...