A recent study that connected place to opportunity also includes findings about the factor most likely to influence economic success: access to transportation.
Mikayla Bouchard follows up on recent coverage of a Harvard study by focusing on the study's findings that one factor in particular determines whether people can build a better life: "A lack of reliable and efficient transportation is often a huge barrier." Bouchard puts it another way: "The longer an average commute in a given county, the worse the chances of low-income families there moving up the ladder."
In fact, the study finds that transportation is more influential than other factors that many would assume have the most impact on economic mobility: "The relationship between transportation and social mobility is stronger than that between mobility and several other factors, like crime, elementary-school test scores or the percentage of two-parent families in a community…"
To supplement the article's point, Bouchard also cites research from New York University’s Rudin Center for Transportation, which "compared neighborhoods by accessibility to mass transit and the number of jobs within an hour’s commute. It found that residents of the areas least well served by mass transit relied on personal vehicles. Areas in the middle third — those with some, but insufficient, access to transportation — had the highest rates of unemployment and the lowest incomes, the study found."
FULL STORY: Transportation Emerges as Crucial to Escaping Poverty
Study Finds New Evidence that Place Determines Income Mobility
A new study by Harvard economists provides the best evidence yet that where children grow up matters to the outcomes of their lives.
Low-Income Residents Less Likely to Move During the Pandemic, Freddie Mac Says
Does low-income residents staying put in large metro areas, relative to higher-income groups, mean that low-income households are missing out on affordable housing options? Freddie Mac researchers think so.
Cities Should Take Advantage of Low Car Traffic to Accelerate Transit Construction
Beverly Hills is taking advantage of empty streets by accelerating construction on the Purple Line Subway extension currently cutting its way across Los Angeles. More cities should follow Beverly Hills' lead.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
Can We Please Give Communities the Design They Deserve?
Often an afterthought, graphic design impacts everything from how we navigate a city to how we feel about it. One designer argues: the people deserve better.
Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?
With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” framework.
The European Cities That Love E-Scooters — And Those That Don’t
Where they're working, where they're banned, and where they're just as annoying the tourists that use them.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)