Changing neighborhoods around new transit stations

Not very relevant to Waukesha County (especially if general opposition to high-speed rail results in no stations being built in the county), but here's an interesting look at new or improved transit stations, and the changing neighborhoods around them.  Some of those changes seem very contradictory to the transit stations!

By evaluating changes in 42 neighborhoods around new transit stations in 12 metropolitan areas, the researchers found that:

• 64% of new transit neighborhoods saw higher population growth than the region as a whole
• 62% saw a larger increase in owner-occupied housing
• 62% saw a larger increase in median household income
• 74% saw a larger increase in rent
• 71% saw a larger increase in automobile ownership

As paradoxical as it sounds, new transit stations resulted in higher auto ownership in those neighborhoods.  The thinking is that as more affluent people move in attracted by the new development(s), auto ownership rises.  This is reflected by the fact that 40% of the new transit stations actually saw a drop in ridership (57% saw an increase).

A concern is that the gentrification of neighborhoods pushes out people who depend on transit to get around.

It should be noted that some of these effects may be in a city’s interest, whether or not transit ridership increases. Having higher-income residents move into a neighborhood may increase the local tax base and reduce negatives like crime and blight. At the same time, displacement of poor people may reduce their ability to get around easily by public transportation.

That makes it more important that proper planning take place in communities.  There is a toolkit that assists in this process.

To give you an idea of how far behind the Milwaukee metro area is behind other metro areas, San Francisco Bay area is planning 100 new public transit stations by 2015.  No, that is not a typo.  One hundred new stations.  In the meantime, Atlanta is developing a 25-year effort totaling $2.8 billion (yes, with a 'b') to "create a network of public parks, multi-use trails and transit along a historic 22-mile railroad corridor circling downtown Atlanta and connecting 45 neighborhoods directly to each other."

But here in metro Milwaukee, people can't even agree to rail.  While we're squabbling over whether to or not have rail, other communities are using rail to revitalize communities, to provide alternatives to the automobile. 

From a disability perspective, this is important-a healthy public transit system with transit-oriented developments provide more opportunities for independence for people who cannot drive for a variety of reasons.  It allows people to live, work, shop, and play more easily.