The Impact of Urban Boundaries on Mass Transit: A Lesson for Atlanta?

Ideas for increasing the effectiveness of mass transit arc constantly emerging. Arc there circumstances favoring transit programs in one city compared to another urban area? Indeed, the factors behind the failure of some transit programs and the success of others are not easily generalized. However, constraints on urban expansion and increased densities observed in areas with these constraints are at least two factors that favor transit. This paper uses four case studies to examine the effectiveness of mass transit in cities or urban areas where expansion is limited by growth boundaries, either politically or geographically imposed. The lessons learned from these examples then will be examined in relation to the Atlanta region, which has no physical constraints on urban expansion as well as lower rates of transit ridership