Browsing by Subject "Guideways"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Accessibility Evaluation of Transitways in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Region
    (Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2020-04) Owen, Andrew; Carlson, Kristin
    This report presents the results of a transit accessibility analysis for five transitway scenarios within the Metropolitan Council's jurisdiction. The details of the bus rapid transit (BRT) corridors selected for this study can be found in the Arterial Transitway Corridors Study report. Census block level access to jobs are evaluated in two stages. The first stage compares the May 2019 transit network with the funded transit network including the C Line, Orange Line, and Green Line Extension. The second stage uses the funded network as the new baseline for comparison with three prospective BRT routes including the D Line, B Line, and E Line. The accessibility change between each scenario is interpreted as the number of additional jobs a worker can reach when the selected BRT alternative is included in the transit network compared to the baseline accessibility level for the same travel duration. The remainder of this report will refer to each network scenario as the May 2019 baseline, funded baseline, and prospective network.
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    Assessing Neighborhood and Social Influences of Transit Corridors
    (Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2012-07) Fan, Yingling; Guthrie, Andrew
    This research investigates neighborhood and social influences of major transit improvements in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. To delineate a comprehensive picture, this research focuses on four transit corridors—Hiawatha LRT, NorthStar Commuter Rail, Cedar Avenue BRT, and Central Corridor LRT—each of which is at a different stage of planning, construction, or operation. The project undertakes a general quantification of neighborhood social change in transit served areas. For each corridor, the researchers also investigate inter-neighborhood and inter-corridor variations in social change, and examine residents' and business owners' perceptions of neighborhood social change, as well as of the specific impacts of transit corridors. A mix of quantitative analysis and survey research is used. By examining a wide range of system development stages including planning, construction, and operation, research findings will help policy makers determine at what point in the timelines of major transit capital projects policy responses are needed and likely to be most effective. By covering a variety of transit technologies including LRT, BRT and Commuter Rail, as well as a diverse range of urban and suburban neighborhoods, results from this research will help policy makers make more informed decisions about how to prevent and mitigate socially harmful neighborhood changes associated with various types of transitways. The research also presents strategies for engaging residents and businesses with negative, neutral and positive perceptions of transit projects in the transitway development process.
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    The Hiawatha Line: Impacts on Land Use and Residential Housing Value
    (Center for Transportation Studies, 2010-02) Goetz, Edward G.; Ko, Kate; Hagar, Aaron; Ton, Hoang; Matson, Jeff
    This report presents the results of an examination of the economic and land-use impacts of the Hiawatha Light Rail Line. Specifically, the report contains findings on the impact of the line on residential property values, housing investment, and land-use patterns. Property value impacts were determined through the creation of a hedonic pricing model for single-family and multi-family residential properties within a one-half mile radius of the Hiawatha Line stations. Price trends within station areas were examined both prior to and after completion of the Hiawatha Line in 2004 and in comparison to a control area of southeast Minneapolis. Housing investment trends were investigated through an examination of building permit data, also broken down into pre- and post-construction periods. Land use patterns were examined through analysis of the Metropolitan Council’s seven-county land use data base. The findings indicate that construction of the Hiawatha Line has had a positive effect on property values within station areas. The effect is limited to the west side of the line; on the east side a four-lane highway and a strip of industrial land uses intervenes and eliminates any positive impact of the line. Results also show a high level of residential investment (as measured by dollar value of the investment) within station areas compared to the control area. No changes in land use patterns were detected since completion of the light rail line. This study demonstrates that completion of the Hiawatha Line has generated value and investment activity in the Minneapolis housing market.
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    Impacts of the Hiawatha Light Rail Line on Commercial and Industrial Property Values in Minneapolis
    (Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2010-06) Ko, Kate; Cao, Xinyu (Jason)
    Metropolitan Council has proposed a network of dedicated transitways in its 2030 Transportation Policy Plan to coordinate transportation and land use development and ultimately manage congestion. Since transitways require substantial funding from federal, state, and local governments, the public is interested in knowing if transitway investments bring about meaningful economic benefits to local communities. In this report, we analyzed the impact of proximity to Hiawatha light rail line stations on sales prices for commercial and industrial properties. We applied a linear hedonic pricing model on the 2000-2008 sales data spanning before and after completion of the line (2004). We expect the findings will illuminate questions about light rail transit’s economic benefits. They can provide evidence for transit agencies to justify transitway investments and address concerns of local developers and lenders regarding economic benefits of transitways.
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    Maximizing the Benefits of Transitway Investment
    (Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2012-09) Fan, Yingling; Tilahun, Nebiyou Y.
    In the Twin Cities metropolitan area, significant long-range transit planning activities have been ongoing since the late 1990s. By 2030, the region is expected to have a network of fourteen transitways converging on the Minneapolis and St. Paul downtown areas. This project seeks to fully capitalize on the opportunities offered by transitways, by testing forward-looking policy options that enable the effective integration of transit, land use planning, and economic development. The overarching goal of this research project was twofold: 1) to sensitize and prepare policymakers for risks and rewards of various future land use and transit scenarios; and 2) to develop best practices in regional land use and transit planning for promoting economic growth and social equity.
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    Transitway Data Management Project
    (Center for Transportation Studies, 2010-01) Borah, Jason C.; Craig, William J.
    The purpose of this project is make data available for studying the impact of transitways in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. We are doing this in two ways: 1) documenting the databases used by University of Minnesota researchers funded by the TIRP – Transitways Impact Research Program and 2) developing a directory of public and private data sources that could be used by future TIRP researchers. This report documents work done to accomplish those goals. Preliminary work has been done using the Minnesota Metadata Guidelines to document two completed TIRP projects. Ten new data sources have been added to MetroGIS’s DataFinder catalog, along with two new data categories. These sources and categories are documented in the report.
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    Value of Transitways to Regional Economies: National and Twin Cities Perspectives
    (Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2020-04) Fan, Yingling; Wexler, Noah; Guthrie, Andrew; Van Dort, Leoma; Guo, Yuxuan
    This study is comprised of two main analyses: (1) a national analysis that assesses the relationship between the presence and quantity of transitway service with the overall economic strength of US Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and (2) a comparative analysis of accessibility to regional employment centers, educational institutions, and workforce development service providers under current and hypothetical future transit conditions. For the first analysis, two-way fixed effects regressions controlling for demographics and total transit activity provide evidence that transitway investment is associated positively with GDP and job growth. However, no statistically significant relationship exists between transitway investment and median household income or inequality. The regional comparison analysis finds that fixed-guideway transit is widely accessible, yet slightly concentrated in higher-income or gentrifying neighborhoods.