Research Report Access to Opportunity through Equitable Transportation
Subtitle
Lessons from Four Metropolitan Regions
Christina Plerhoples Stacy, Yipeng Su, Owen Noble, Alena Stern, Kristin Blagg, Macy Rainer, Richard Ezike
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Transportation is key to accessing such opportunities as employment, education, and health care. But not everyone has equal access to high-quality, reliable, and safe transportation. Leaders making decisions about expanding or cutting transportation services often lack clear definitions and measures of equity with which to make these choices. In this report, we examine transportation equity and inclusion in different types of metropolitan regions and explore how these regions might track and improve transportation equity over time. We draw on case studies of four Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) facing different barriers to providing equitable transportation: the Seattle, Washington, MSA; the Lansing, Michigan, MSA; the Baltimore, Maryland, MSA; and the Nashville, Tennessee, MSA. We find that although these regions face very different barriers to providing equitable transportation, they share common challenges. We also identified opportunities that all metro regions could take to further transportation equity.

Research Areas Economic mobility and inequality Neighborhoods, cities, and metros Race and equity Community and economic development
Tags Racial and ethnic disparities Transportation Job opportunities Workers in low-wage jobs Labor force Beyond high school: education and training Inequality and mobility Racial inequities in economic mobility Racial inequities in neighborhoods and community development
Policy Centers Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center Research to Action Lab