Browsing by Subject "Social equity"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Can Transit-Oriented Development Enhance Social Equity: Current State and Active Promotion of Equitable Transit-Oriented Development
    (2018-07) Guthrie, Andrew
    Promoting social equity is an important part of the purpose of public transit. However, social equity has historically played a much more minor role in transit-oriented development. High quality transit has been shown to increase station area property values and cause concerns about the displacement of low-income residents by high-income residents when the desirability of a neighborhood increases. In combination, these dynamics of transportation and real estate economics mean that transit-oriented development is often not a natural social equity promoter. This thesis examines equity implications of social and economic change in the areas surrounding newly implemented transit stations, as well as public sector efforts to promote equitable transit-oriented development. I employ a mixed-methods approach including quantitative and qualitative components. Building from the bid-rent and rent gap theories, I examine change in station area low-, medium- and high-wage working population and jobs as a function of transit mode and difference in accessibility in a national, longitudinal analysis. I also explore public efforts to promote equitable transit-oriented development in the context of Harvey’s concept of entrepreneurial urbanism though a series of in-depth interviews with senior program staff, taking an interpretivist approach focused on interviewees’ shared understandings of their work and current limitations to it. In the national, longitudinal analysis, I find significant in-migration of high-wage workers to station areas, but not of low- or medium-wage workers, significant gains of high-wage jobs and losses of low- and medium-wage jobs. In the interpretivist analysis, I find process of equitable transit-oriented development promotion to be sharply constrained by current urban governance structures and relationships to the private sector. I close by recommending a focus on both preservation and production of affordable housing and entry-level, living wage jobs in station areas, careful consideration of the appropriate roles of mixed-income and all-affordable development, as well as critical consideration of when the entrepreneurial model of urban governance is at least benign and when alternatives to it ought to be considered.
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    Challenges to Starting a Cannabis Retail Dispensary in Minnesota
    (2024-12-11) Madden, Julie
    This project investigates the best practices for Minnesota to adopt for its new Cannabis Retail Dispensary law. Retail Cannabis was legalized in 2023, and the Office of Cannabis Management developed operating procedures based on the experiences in other states. The research focuses on how Minnesota and Minneapolis can effectively support and assist license holders to help them succeed. I examined the other states' laws and identified the successful approaches. Given that the IRS currently regulates Cannabis as a dangerous, illegal drug, every state must work around those federal limitations. Minnesota chose to prioritize licenses first to disadvantaged, social equity applicants and those who had been harmed by past unfair marijuana arrests. My analysis shows that without previous business experience or technical training, most license applicants benefit from state-supported technical and business education programs. The neighborhood's support and community engagement with other local companies also enhanced the likelihood of cannabis business success.
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    Exploring the interaction effect of poverty concentration and transit service on highway traffic during the COVID-19 lockdown
    (Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2021) Tao, Tao; Cao, Jason
    During COVID-19 lockdowns, transit agencies need to respond to the decline in travel but also maintain the essential mobility of transit-dependent people. However, there are a few lessons that scholars and practitioners can learn from. Using highway traffic data in the Twin Cities, this study applies a generalized additive model to explore the relationships among the share of low-income population, transit service, and highway traffic during the week that occurred right after the 2020 stay-at-home order. Our results substantiate that transportation impacts are spread unevenly across different income groups and low-income people are less able to reduce travel, leading to equity concerns. Moreover, transit supply influences highway traffic differently in areas with different shares of low-income people. Our study suggests that transportation agencies should provide more affordable travel options for areas with concentrated poverty during lockdowns. In addition, transit agencies should manage transit supply strategically depending on the share of low-income people to better meet people’s mobility needs.
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    Fostering Social Equity with Automated Vehicles (Research Brief)
    (Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2022-03) Center for Transportation Studies
    This research brief summarizes the highlights and findings for research report CTS 22-01, Advancing Social Equity with Shared Autonomous Vehicles: Literature Review, Practitioner Interviews, and Stated Preference Surveys. This research was funded as part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) Smart and Connected Communities grant, Leveraging Autonomous Shared Vehicles for Greater Community Health, Equity, Livability, and Prosperity (HELP).
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    If we build it, who will benefit? A multi-criteria approach for the prioritization of new bicycle lanes in Quebec City, Canada
    (Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2018) Grisé, Emily; El-Geneidy, Ahmed
    Many cities across the world are actively promoting cycling through investments in cycling infrastructure, yet ensuring that the benefits from these investments are distributed equally in a region and not benefiting only one group is an important social goal. The aim of this study is to develop a methodology that can help in identifying where new bicycle facilities can be built in a region while prioritizing investments for those who need them most. The study uses Quebec City, Canada, as an example since the city has recently made a strong commitment to provide safe and attractive bicycle infrastructure to its residents. It also uses a GIS-based grid cell model to identify priority areas for cycling investment in different parts of the city. This is followed by a proposal for a new set of facilities based on a multi-criteria approach. These proposed facilities are then evaluated through a level of usage analysis to determine which routes will provide the maximum benefit to existing and potential cyclists. Finally, an equity analysis is conducted to evaluate whether the new facilities will meet some of the travel needs of individuals residing in socially deprived neighborhoods. This step in the evaluation process proposes a new social equity component in bicycle planning processes. This research can be of value to planners, engineers and policymakers working toward investments in bicycle facilities because it shows the full process of planning and evaluating different cycling facilities while incorporating social equity principles.
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    A social equity analysis of the U.S. public transportation system based on job accessibility
    (Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2018) Yeganeh, Armin Jeddi; Hall, Ralph P.; Pearce, Annie R.; Hankey, Steve
    Access to quality public transportation is critical for employment, especially for low-income and minority populations. This study contributes to previous work on equity analyses of the U.S. public transportation system by including the 45 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in a single analysis. Year-2014 Census demographic data were combined with an existing 2014 dataset of transit job accessibility. Then, transit equality and justice indicators were developed and a regression analysis was performed to explore trends in transit job accessibility by race and income. The findings suggest that within individual MSAs, low-income populations and minorities have the highest transit job accessibility. However, the overall transit ridership is low, and in certain MSAs with high transit job accessibility both high and low income populations have high access levels but middle income populations do not. Within individual MSAs, on average, accessibility differences by income are greater than accessibility differences by race. The relative importance of race versus income for injustice increases with MSA size. In upper mid-size and large MSAs, differences by race increase. Also, the differences by race are greater among low-income populations. Accessibility-related equality and justice indicators are only one of many issues that comprise the wider discussion of equity.