Document Type

Report

Publication Date

7-2017

Subjects

Transportation -- Oregon -- Portland Metropolitan Area -- Planning, City planning -- Oregon -- Portland, Bus rapid transit -- Evaluation

Abstract

New transit investments can be a double-edged sword for disadvantaged communities (e.g., those included in environmental justice and Title VI protected classes). Transit investments improve communities’ mobility and access, and may improve health with reduced driving. However, there is also the potential for transit-oriented development (TOD) to spur gentrification and displacement if affordable housing is lost. Understanding transit corridor conditions and change with new infrastructure is important for learning how to mitigate negative effects and support inclusive communities with access to transit for lower-income households. The planning of a new bus rapid transit line along the Powell-Division corridor in Portland-Gresham provides an opportunity to understand neighborhood impacts of transit investment and evaluate programs designed to preserve and create affordable housing; include residents in economic development on the corridor; and build livable communities in an underserved area of the region. This proposal is for a research partnership between Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning faculty and the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to evaluate current conditions and potential for impacts of TOD, and to build a long-term program of assessment of neighborhood change and program evaluation as the city pilots new approaches to equitable TOD. The first phase will document the potential costs to communities if an integrated approach to livable communities were not taken, by assessing the risk of housing loss and displacement. DOT priorities are developing, evaluating and disseminating a coordinated approach to livable communities that includes housing and transportation. This work will speak to the scholarly debates about gentrification and public infrastructure investment, and will be presented to practitioner audiences through venues such as New Partners for Smart Growth, the PolicyLink think tank, and other learning opportunities for professionals.

Description

This is a final report, NITC-RR-912, from the NITC program of TREC at Portland State University, and can be found online at: http://trec.pdx.edu/research/project/912/Planning_ahead_for_livable_communities_along_the_Powell-Division_BRT:_neighborhood_conditions_and_change

The Project Brief can be found here: http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/trec_briefs/46

DOI

10.15760/trec.179

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/20743

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