National Institute for Transportation and Communities

A NITC study took a look at how metropolitan planning organizations, or MPOs, can better serve transportation-disadvantaged and historically marginalized populations when creating regional transportation plans.

The transportation disadvantaged are those unable to drive or who lack access to an automobile, and may include the elderly, low income, young people, persons with disabilities, and those with permanent or temporary health conditions. Historically marginalized communities are often left out of the planning process and include many of the same groups but also ethnic and racial minorities.

A new freeway, with all its attendant air and noise pollution, might cut through a part of town where low-income and minority populations are concentrated. Bike lanes sometimes wait to make an appearance until a neighborhood has begun to gentrify. People over the age of 60, as well as people of color, are at greater risk of being killed by a car while walking. Low-income neighborhoods often have poor access to regional transportation networks, making getting to and from work and other destinations a challenge for residents. English language proficiency is a barrier to participating in the transportation planning process and is also recognized as a dimension of transportation disadvantage.

To address problems like this, equity needs to be a priority in every regional transportation planning process. The report, ...

Gentrification is a common, and deeply controversial, outcome of urban development.

It's usually the same story: investments in new infrastructure draw the affluent, causing market forces to displace lower-income residents. Neighborhoods become renovated, and the people who once defined the neighborhood can no longer afford to live there.

NITC researcher Gerardo Sandoval shows in his latest project that it doesn’t have to be that way. With the right level of community input, transit-oriented development has the potential to bring needed services to low-income residents while revitalizing their...

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

• Video
• Presentation slides

OVERVIEW

Nonprofit organizations are responsible for providing human services across the United States, often in partnership with government agencies. In this work, they address some of the most pressing social issues – including homelessness, poverty, health care and education. While many of these organizations consider location and accessibility crucial to supporting their clients – often locating services near bus or train stops, for example – little is known about the impact of new technologies, including ride hail services (also called Transportation Network Companies, or TNCs) like Lyft and Uber, on nonprofit accessibility.   

Do these services help fill gaps in client needs? How are nonprofit organizations considering these services in meeting client needs?

This exploratory and qualitative study is among the first of its kind to measure the impact of TNCs and other emerging technologies on community mobility and the accessibility of human services, helping to build stronger communities. This study includes interviews with nonprofit service providers and clients...

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

• Video
• Slides
• PDH Certificate

OVERVIEW

Equity requirements in shared micromobility programs have become increasingly prevalent in recent years, but our understanding of the scope and breadth of these requirements has been relatively limited. To address this gap in understanding, we collected documentation about 239 shared micromobility programs from the U.S. and have compiled all the data into an online, interactive dashboard. In this webinar, we will discuss the kinds of equity requirements that are most prevalent, the strategies cities/agencies employ to operationalize equity, and the extent to which these programs are monitored and evaluated. We’ll present findings from our review of 239 U.S. programs, supplemented by five case studies.

In addition, we’ll introduce attendees to two practitioner-focused tools we created to accompany this work:

1)...