Does New Public Transit Increase Gentrification and Lower Ridership?

From Treehungger.com
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto posted 10.22.10

Smart Planet points us to a report (PDF here) from Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University that concludes that new transit can lead to gentrification.

My first response was well, duh, isn't that the point? It has always been a rule in real estate development that investment follows infrastructure; if you build good transit and fix roads, people will come. Density will increase. Taxbase will improve. Is this not the return on investment that planners want? Is this not a good thing?

Apparently some think not, because there are unintended consequences.

All those things that I would have thought were good come from investment in transit. The study shows, summarized by Smart Planet:

For 64 percent of the neighborhoods around the new rail stations in the study (that's 27 of 42 total), population grew more quickly than the rest of the metro area.

55 percent of those neighborhoods showed a "dramatic" increase in housing production.

62 percent of those neighborhoods showed a faster increase in owner-occupied units than the rest of the metro area.

50 percent of those neighborhoods showed an increase in the proportion of non-Hispanic white households relative to the rest of the metro area. (The other half showed no change or a decrease.)

62 percent of those neighborhoods showed an increase in median household income; 60 percent showed a boost in the proportion of households with incomes of more than $100,000.

Perhaps most tellingly, 74 percent of the neighborhoods showed rents that increased faster than the rest of the metro area. A full 88 percent had a relative boost in median housing values, too.

But in America, if you have money, you drive. Poor people take transit. So if you gentrify a neighbourhood and displace the people who use transit a lot (predominantly poor and black) and replace them with wealthier people who have cars, transit use actually goes down. The report says:

Some of the newly transit- rich neighborhoods, the research reveals how a new transit station can set in motion a cycle of unintended consequences in which core transit users--such as renters and low income households--are priced out in favor of higher-income, car- owning residents who are less likely to use public transit for commuting.

It seems counter-intuitive that people would move to an area because of an investment in transit and then drive, but hey, it's America. It also is counter-intuitive to think that the investment and upgrading that comes from gentrification is not a good thing, but the report points out that poor people, who benefit most from transit, can be displaced and have to move further from the transit that is their only option.

In the end, the report makes some solid recommendations to get the best of both worlds. They advocate incentives to build affordable housing, reduced parking requirements (so people who move there have fewer cars) and other incentives to get people out of their cars and onto transit.

But ultimately the answer is to make the United States like almost every other civilized country: install good clean transit that is affordable and comfortable, and stop subsidizing the car, the roads and the parking. In most of the world there is no stigma to transit and the ethnicity of the riders pretty much mirrors the ethnic mix of the cities it runs through.

Transit is for everyone.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/10/does-public-transit-increase-gentrification.php

Mobility Bond Video

The City of Austin has developed a video explaining the 2010 bond package.

Opponents are crying fowl, that this video is advocacy.

See for yourself.  Is the City campaigning or are the opponents whinny babies?

Video link

Here is a detailed list of the 28 road projects that comprise the 2010 mobility bond. Any you would push back/discard?

View larger image

 
Types of Projects Being Assessed:

Roadway Projects: This proposition would provide funding for preliminary engineering, design, construction and reconstruction of projects to build or rebuild the travel surface, subgrade, and associated infrastructure including storm drains, sidewalks and bikeways where feasible in those streets and/or corridors selected for construction or reconstruction.

Partnership Projects: If approved, this proposition would authorize the City to sell bonds to provide funding for the City’s participation in joint agreements with Travis County, Texas Department of Transportation and other transportation providers to design and construct improvements to the regional roadway, sidewalk, bicycle, and trail network and associated infrastructure including storm drains.

Signals and Intersections: In addition, this proposition would authorize funding for traffic signal system updates, including modifying and upgrading existing signals, installation of pedestrian signals, construction and reconstruction of school flashers, installation of vehicle detectors, the expansion of the computerized signal system and the installation of new signals or alternative intersection infrastructure throughout Austin as well as operational changes to manage traffic on City roadways.

Pedestrian/ADA Improvements: Additionally, this proposition would provide funding for projects to repair and install sidewalks, curb ramps and gutters, and associated infrastructure including storm drains, provide accessibility of the pedestrian network as part of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance program, and can also provide funding for bicycle facilities cited in the City’s Bike Plan and sidewalk facilities cited in the City’s Sidewalk Master Plan.


Specific projects to be undertaken as part of the 2010 mobility bond program, if approved, may include but are not limited to the following:

1. Lavaca and Guadalupe streets between approximately Cesar Chavez Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, design and potential relocation of utilities.

2. IH 35 between approximately William Cannon Drive and U.S. 290, in coordination with the Texas Department of Transportation, conduct preliminary engineering and design of mobility infrastructure.

3. East Riverside Drive from approximately IH 35 to Ben White Boulevard, conduct preliminary engineering for sidewalk, bicycle and related pedestrian facilities.

4. Third Street between San Antonio and Trinity streets, street reconstruction with related pedestrian and bicycle facilities.

5. Manchaca Road between William Cannon Drive and South Lamar Boulevard, in coordination with TxDOT, conduct preliminary engineering for sidewalk and bicycle facilities.

6. FM 969 (East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) Corridor between U.S. 183 and the City of Webberville, conduct preliminary engineering for future transportation infrastructure.

7. Kramer Lane Multi-Use Trail between Metric Boulevard and Burnet Road, construct pedestrian infrastructure to connect transit services, bicycle facilities, and employment centers.

8. Boardwalk Trail at Lady Bird Lake between Congress Avenue Bridge and Lakeshore Park, construct multi-phased pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure connection between the east and west sides of IH 35, including a potential connection between Riverside Drive and the trail at Blunn Creek.

9. Sabine and Sixth streets in vicinity of Waller Creek, conduct design of street, pedestrian, and bicycle facilities associated with adjacent creek drainage project.

10. Airport Boulevard from approximately North Lamar Boulevard to U.S. 183, conduct preliminary engineering for future roadway infrastructure.

11. Loop 1 (MoPac) Corridor, partner with other transportation agencies to design and evaluate options to provide express lanes and improve access to Downtown Austin.

12. Guadalupe Street between 24th and 45th streets, resurface roadway and provide bicycle facilities.

13. Fourth Street under IH 35, connect east-west pedestrian and bicycle facilities.

14. Johnston Terrace neighborhood, improve pedestrian access to Allan Elementary School.

15. U.S. 183, between U.S. 290 and Texas 71, partner with TxDOT to address near-term traffic management.

16. Seventh and Eighth streets, in downtown Austin, conduct design for potential two-way operations and possible construction.

17. Jollyville Road at U.S. 183, construct bicycle crossing infrastructure.

18. Manor Road, between Airport Boulevard and East 51st Street, conduct design and construction of street, pedestrian, and bicycle facilities.

19. Pleasant Valley Road between Fifth and Seventh streets, design and construct signal and intersection infrastructure.

20. RM 620 at RM 2222, in coordination with TxDOT, design and implement intersection infrastructure.

21. South Congress Avenue at William Cannon Drive, in coordination with TxDOT, design roadway infrastructure for future construction.

22. Brodie Lane, between Slaughter Lane and FM 1626, construct sidewalks on west side.

23. Dessau Road/Cameron Road, between Braker Lane and East 51st Street, bicycle facilities.

24. West Rundberg Lane, Burnet Road to Metric Boulevard, construct new roadway.

25. East Rundberg Lane, Cameron Road to Ferguson Lane, conduct preliminary engineering, and preserve right-of-way for future roadway.

26. Barton Springs Road near Robert E. Lee Road, construct continuous bicycle lanes to connect with existing lanes on Barton Springs Road.

27. U.S. 290 (Oak Hill Y), between near the western terminus of the U.S. 290 freeway and FM 1826, construct near-term traffic management infrastructure.

28. IH 35 at East 51st Street, re-construct ramps to/from IH 35 at Cameron Road and construct associated intersection facilities on East 51st Street.