Impact of Twin Cities Transitways on Regional Labor Market Accessibility: A Transportation Equity Perspective
Principal Investigator:
Yingling Fan, Assistant Professor, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
Co-Investigators:
- Jason Cao, Assistant Professor , Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
- David Levinson, Associate Professor, Civil Engineering
Project Summary:
With job decentralization and suburban housing discrimination, entry-level job opportunities have drifted farther from low-income populations who largely live in inner cities. This spatial mismatch phenomenon, in combination with the transit dependency of many inner-city low-income workers, leads to increasing social inequality in urban labor markets. In the Twin Cities metropolitan area, transitways have provided reliable, affordable, and rapid transportation service to major job destinations. This research examines the impact of current transitway operations on low-income individuals' access to entry-level job opportunities, and asks whether the existing transitway system improves the ability of transit-dependent populations to access suitable job opportunities. The research employs data from various sources, including longitudinal employment and population datasets, transit network information, and home-to-work commuting flow data. The research method is twofold. First, spatial and statistical analyses are conducted to evaluate changes in entry-level job accessibility before and after transitway operations. Second, a longitudinal analysis of home-to-work flows is undertaken to investigate whether workers relocated to take advantage of transitways. Findings from the before-and-after evaluation of job accessibility and the workforce relocation analysis will shed light on the importance of transit in promoting social equity. The research method is generalized for future assessment of new transitways and other available transit modes within the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area.
Sponsors:
- Anoka County
- Dakota County
- Hennepin County
- Metropolitan Council
- Minnesota Department of Transportation
- Ramsey County
- Washington County