Sponsor
This research was funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities, or NITC, a program of TREC at Portland State University. Funding was also provided by Utah Transit Authority, Portland Metro, TriMet, Lane County Transit, Washoe MPO, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), City of Provo, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, and Transportation for America (a subsidiary of Smart Growth America).
Document Type
Report
Publication Date
11-2015
Subjects
Transit-oriented development, Transportation -- Planning, Bus rapid transit, Street-railroads
Abstract
Bus rapid transit (BRT) is poised to become the “next big thing” in public transit. From virtually no systems a generation ago, there are now 19 lines operating with at least seven under construction and more than 20 in the planning stages. BRT is gaining popularity because of its combination of low capital cost and potential for high levels of benefits. But are BRT systems effective in attracting development?
To answer this and many more trending BRT questions, the Metropolitan Research Center (MRC) reviewed multiple studies using data from the United States Census Bureau, Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics, and CoStar data in a quasi-experimental, compare-and-contrast research design to compare jobs, population and households, and housing units before and after BRT station construction relative to control stations and the stations’ metropolitan context. Our units of analysis will be 2010 census blocks and their assemblages as data allow within 0.25 mile buffers.
The final products of the MRC’s research include case studies of each BRT and meta-assessments of whether and to what extent BRT systems attract development. Some of the studies answer the following questions: What are the effects of BRT on sectoral employment change in the United States? How does BRT affect housing location affordability? What is the relationship between BRT and its surrounding area’s wagerelated job change? These answers can provide MPOs with information to aid in the decision-making process in terms of economic development and transportation planning options.
DOI
10.15760/trec.28
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/16766
Recommended Citation
Nelson, Arthur C. and Ganning, Joanna. National Study of BRT Development Outcomes. NITC-RR-650. Portland, OR: Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC), 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.15760/trec.28
Included in
Transportation Engineering Commons, Urban Studies Commons, Urban Studies and Planning Commons
Description
This is a final report, NITC-RR-650, from the NITC program of TREC at Portland State University, and can be found online at: http://nitc.trec.pdx.edu/research/project/650