Report: Just 10% of US households live near 'frequent, reliable' transit

An analysis from the Urban Institute reveals that just 10% of American homes are located within half a mile of frequent, reliable public transit. 

According to an article by Jared Brey in Governing, big, dense cities like New York, Chicago and Boston have the highest share of residents living near transit. At the bottom end, just 1% of households in Miami, Tampa and Detroit are near frequent transit. "At the state level, Mississippi has the smallest share of homes near any transit, at 10 percent, and California has the highest share, at 73.4 percent."

The analysis shows how U.S. infrastructure and urban design perpetuate car dependency. But the tide is starting to turn: "States like California and Massachusetts have recently adopted new transit-oriented development policies, allowing taller, denser buildings in neighborhoods served by trains and buses. And according to the report, since the year 2000, every urban area in the country has concentrated more of its new housing near transit than in the decades prior."

The report recommends that cities continue supporting zoning policies that allow denser housing near transit and invest in frequent transit and quality-of-life improvements in transit-adjacent areas that can attract new development.