Are all transit stations equal and equitable? Calculating sustainability, livability, health, & equity performance of smart growth & transit-oriented-development (TOD)

This study provides a unique evaluation of urban quality performance related to Transportation Land-use Coordination (TLC), “Smart Growth” and “New Urbanism. We find stations with higher levels of livability opportunity access to be significantly associated with key quality of life outcomes for individuals and society, such as lower rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease, asthma, driving, carbon emissions, and even lower poverty and unemployment. These higher-performing stations also have higher rates of walking, bicycling, transit use associated with lower household transportation costs which offset higher housing costs. Unfortunately, these stations are not socio-economically inclusive – in sum, all stations are not equal, or equitable.Using livability-opportunity-access-assessments with livability ethics, we recommend transportation and land-use agencies coordinate policies to provide equitable access to opportunities so all people can pursue and realize sustainability, livability, health, and equity outcomes for themselves and society.
Source: Journal of Transport and Health - Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research