If jobs, services, and other urban amenities are concentrated downtown, suburbanites can use transit to get there quickly without a car. Job sprawl makes transit useless outside central districts.
In cities with centralized job hubs like Chicago and Philadelphia, robust commuter transit makes it possible for suburbanites to go there and back again without a car. Daniel Hertz argues that centralizing urban amenities is the most effective way for cities to capitalize on transit.
Hertz writes, "suburbanites who take public transit to work are actually richer on average than suburbanites in the same neighborhoods who drive. Why is that? Because in places where high-end jobs are concentrated downtown, those high-end earners can take convenient express buses or commuter rail to work [...] If the urbanite works in the suburbs, she almost certainly drives; and if the suburbanite works downtown, there's a good chance he takes the train."
Looking at data from the 2013 American Community Survey, Hertz concludes that "what really matters for how you get to your job, even more than where you live, is where you work." While most suburbs are obviously ill-served when it comes to transit, planning for centrally-located jobs and services will make new commuter rail and buses a more attractive option.
FULL STORY: When it comes to transit use, destination density matters more than where you live
Opinion: Improved Commuter Rail Services Would Better Serve Chicago’s South Side Residents
The city’s South Side residents need more transit options, but an extension of the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line would be a costly and less effective alternative.
Study: Good Access to Transit Attracts Startups
Startups are increasingly abandoning the suburban office park to try their luck in denser urban cores. According to this study, good transit is one factor behind that trend. But it's not the only one.
SEPTA Trains Running on Schedule for the First Time in Two Months
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority returned to a normal commute schedule today, after making sufficient repairs to new trains that didn't start on the right track.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”
The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).
The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns
In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.
The States Losing Rural Delivery Rooms at an Alarming Pace
In some states, as few as 9% of rural hospitals still deliver babies. As a result, rising pre-term births, no adequate pre-term care and "harrowing" close calls are a growing reality.
The Small South Asian Republic Going all in on EVs
Thanks to one simple policy change less than five years ago, 65% of new cars in this Himalayan country are now electric.
DC Backpedals on Bike Lane Protection, Swaps Barriers for Paint
Citing aesthetic concerns, the city is removing the concrete barriers and flexposts that once separated Arizona Avenue cyclists from motor vehicles.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)