Impact of Light Rail Implementation on Labor Market Accessibility: A Transportation Equity Perspective

Yingling Fan, Andrew Guthrie and David Levinson

No 79, Working Papers from University of Minnesota: Nexus Research Group

Abstract: This study examines transit's role in promoting social equity by assessing impacts of recent transit changes in the Twin Cities, including opening of the Hiawatha light rail line, on job accessibility among workers of different wage categories. Geo-spatial and descriptive analyses are employed to examine the magnitude of the accessibility changes and where changes occur. This study also uses regression analysis to estimate block-level before- and after-LRT accessibility as a function of the block's locational characteristics and demographic composition. The analysis finds that proximity to light rail stations and bus stops offering direct rail connections are associated with large, statistically significant gains in accessibility to low-wage jobs. These gains stand out from changes in accessibility for the transit system as a whole. The paper concludes by discussing implications of the study results for informing more equitable transit polices in the future.

Keywords: Transportation equity; transit; light rail; bus; Twin Cities; Minneapolis; St. Paul (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: R41 R48 R53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-geo, nep-lab and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Published in Journal of Transport and Land Use 5(3) pp.28-39

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http://hdl.handle.net/11299/180033 Second version, 2012 (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Impact of light rail implementation on labor market accessibility: A transportation equity perspective (2012)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nex:wpaper:transit-labor-accessibility

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