Evaluating Transportation Equity: An Intermetropolitan Comparison of Regional Accessibility and Urban Form

https://doi.org/10.21949/15035992013PDFTech ReportFTA Report No. 0066MI-26-8002-00Metropolitan areasPublic transitPopulationTransit ridersMinoritiesLow income groupsEquity (Justice)AccessibilityEvaluationUrban areasLand useResearch reportsCase studiesPlanningPolicyInfrastructureHuman Services TransportationUnited StatesUnited States. Federal Transit Administration. Office of Civil RightsGrengs, JoeLevine, JonathanShen, QingyunUniversity of Michigan. Urban and Regional PlanningUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Transit AdministrationFederal Transit AdministrationThe concept of accessibility is used as the measurement tool to assess the link between social equity and the built environment because it simultaneously accounts for both land-use patterns and a transportation system. This study compares 25 metropolitan regions to identify those regions that best support high accessibility for transit-dependent populations, racial minorities, and low-income households. Comparing across metropolitan regions enables a better understanding of which regions offer greater geographic equity in accessibility, and what factors underpin these differences. The analysis demonstrates that accessibility can be evaluated across multiple dimensions.85