01589964

Component

Access to job markets, education and health services by transit is critical for low-income transit-dependent families in urban areas. However, the escalation of house values and rents near rail transit stations could severely hinder the access of these families to transit, resulting in gentrification or even displacement. This paper focuses on this potential externality of transit investments, and presents a methodology that explores the spatial nature of socioeconomic changes in an urban area taking into account the spatial dependence in the data. The measure of socioeconomic change utilized in this study is the relative increase of income per capita. A preliminary analysis is conducted for the urban area of the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood Metropolitan Statistical Area in Colorado. A spatial lag model was estimated based on the assumption that an individual chooses her or his location of residence on the basis of the characteristics of the greater region. Evidence of higher socioeconomic change was detected within 12 miles of the 23 new stations of the Light Rail facility. The findings of this paper reinforce the need for equitable transit-oriented development and government policies that support affordable housing near rail transit stations.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADD20 Standing Committee on Social and Economic Factors of Transportation. Alternate title: Assessing Socioeconomic Effects of Transit Rail Development: Exploration of Displacement and Gentrification.

01584066

16-3572

English

16p

2016

Transportation Research Board 95th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; References; Tables

Housing; Public transit; Rail transit stations; Socioeconomic factors; Spatial analysis; Transit oriented development; Urban areas

Gentrification

Denver Metropolitan Area

Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2016 Paper #16-3572

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 12 2016 5:33PM