Impacts of Light Rail Transit on Labor Participation and Housing Affordability in the U.S.: Longitudinal Analysis Using Propensity Score Matching

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812110296
Author(s):  
Keuntae Kim ◽  
Keunhyun Park ◽  
Arthur C. Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Propensity Score ◽  
Propensity Score Matching ◽  
Public Transit ◽  
Housing Affordability ◽  
Light Rail ◽  
Rail Transit ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Light Rail Transit ◽  
Labor Participation ◽  
The U.S

Planners and planning scholars have debated the effects of public transit on changes in various employment outcomes. However, few studies have tried to understand how public transit affects employment changes in a community while accounting for housing costs at the same time. As an update to and methodological advance on early studies, this study aims to measure light rail transit (LRT) systems’ impacts on the change in labor participation and housing affordability. This study uses the decennial Census and 5-year American Community Survey (ACS) data at the block group level and conducts propensity score matching in 12 selected LRT systems across the U.S. opened between 2000 and 2010. By comparing growth rates of the average weeks worked and the median gross rent between treatment and control groups, the results show that an introduction of an LRT station increases the average weeks worked—a measure of labor participation—while not raising the median gross rent. Further analysis also shows that the increased average weeks worked after operation of LRT systems is a result of an increase in the percentage of full-time and year-round workers and a decrease in the proportion of part-time and part-year workers. Ultimately, the findings provide planners and policymakers with a better understanding of the effects of LRT systems on the economic stability of urban communities.

scholarly journals The Social Justice Impact of the Transit-Oriented Development

Societies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Seunghoon Kim
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Propensity Score ◽  
Propensity Score Matching ◽  
Smart Growth ◽  
Light Rail ◽  
Rail Transit ◽  
Light Rail Transit ◽  
Transit Oriented Development ◽  
The Social ◽  
Random Location

Transit-oriented development (TOD) is often considered a solution for automobile dependency in the pursuit of sustainability. Although TOD has shown various benefits as sustainable development and smart growth, there are potential downsides, such as transit-induced gentrification (TIG). Even if there were no displacement issues with TIG, existing residents could be disadvantaged by a TOD due to affordability problems. This study focuses on these potential affordability issues and aims to evaluate the effects of TOD using residents’ discretionary income (DI) as an indicator of affordability. The light rail transit-oriented development (LRTOD) in Phoenix, AZ, is selected because of the timing of the introduction of development and the simplicity of the light rail transit line. In order to counteract problems induced by a non-random location of TODS, propensity score matching is used. The results indicate that LRTOD can give benefit to all TOD residents. Moreover, the effects of LRTOD on discretionary income of various types of households are not statistically significantly different. We have identified the different magnitudes of the effects of TOD between propensity score matching (PSM)-controlled and uncontrolled models. These indicate the existence of the selection bias of TOD implementation, justifying the adoption of the PSM method.

scholarly journals From “Big Small Town” to “Small Big City”: Resident Experiences of Gentrification along Waterloo Region’s LRT Corridor

2021 ◽  
pp. 0739456X2199391
Author(s):  
Margaret Ellis-Young ◽  
Brian Doucet
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Strong Evidence ◽  
Small Town ◽  
Light Rail ◽  
Rail Transit ◽  
Light Rail Transit ◽  
Big City ◽  
Waterloo Region

Most studies of transit-induced gentrification rely on statistical analysis that measures the extent to which gentrification is occurring. To extend and enhance our knowledge of its impact, we conducted sixty-five interviews with residents living along the light rail transit (LRT) corridor in Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, shortly before the system opened. There was already strong evidence of gentrification, with more than $3 billion (Canadian dollars) worth of investment, largely in condominiums, before a single passenger was carried. In line with contemporary critical conceptualizations of gentrification, our interviews identified new and complex psychological, phenomenological, and experiential aspects of gentrification, in addition to economic- or class-based changes.

A simplified iterative approach for testing the pulse derailment of light rail vehicles across a viaduct to near-fault earthquake scenarios

2021 ◽  
pp. 095440972098741
Author(s):  
Ling-Kun Chen ◽  
Peng Liu ◽  
Li-Ming Zhu ◽  
Jing-Bo Ding ◽  
Yu-Lin Feng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ground Motions ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Light Rail ◽  
Rail Transit ◽  
Light Rail Transit ◽  
Seismic Responses ◽  
Near Fault ◽  
Rail Vehicle ◽  
Pulse Type ◽  
The Impact

Near-fault (NF) earthquakes cause severe bridge damage, particularly urban bridges subjected to light rail transit (LRT), which could affect the safety of the light rail transit vehicle (“light rail vehicle” or “LRV” for short). Now when a variety of studies on the fault fracture effect on the working protection of LRVs are available for the study of cars subjected to far-reaching soil motion (FFGMs), further examination is appropriate. For the first time, this paper introduced the LRV derailment mechanism caused by pulse-type near-fault ground motions (NFGMs), suggesting the concept of pulse derailment. The effects of near-fault ground motions (NFGMs) are included in an available numerical process developed for the LRV analysis of the VBI system. A simplified iterative algorithm is proposed to assess the stability and nonlinear seismic response of an LRV-reinforced concrete (RC) viaduct (LRVBRCV) system to a long-period NFGMs using the dynamic substructure method (DSM). Furthermore, a computer simulation software was developed to compute the nonlinear seismic responses of the VBI system to pulse-type NFGMs, non-pulse-type NFGMs, and FFGMs named Dynamic Interaction Analysis for Light-Rail-Vehicle Bridge System (DIALRVBS). The nonlinear bridge seismic reaction determines the impact of pulses on lateral peak earth acceleration (Ap) and lateral peak land (Vp) ratios. The analysis results quantify the effects of pulse-type NFGMs seismic responses on the LRV operations' safety. In contrast with the pulse-type non-pulse NFGMs and FFGMs, this article's research shows that pulse-type NFGM derail trains primarily via the transverse velocity pulse effect. Hence, this study's results and the proposed method can improve the LRT bridges' seismic designs.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document