Building inclusive neighborhoods: assessing the socio-spatial implications of transit-oriented development in St. Louis, Missouri

This dissertation research emphasizes achieving greater urban inclusion through transit-oriented development (TOD). In exploring St. Louis, Missouri's Delmar Loop TOD site, I specifically focus on the impact public transportation activities have on residents in neighborhoods surrounding light rail transit stations. I seek to understand if these developments indeed improve living conditions and urban inclusion for residents in areas around the station. TODs can be desirable spaces for residents, planners, and developers as they potentially enhance economic development, improve regional connectivity, increase transit ridership, among many other benefits and goals. However, this desirability of TODs may lead to the people with the most need for public transportation and improved neighborhood conditions being further marginalized. I argue that TOD activities can indeed assist in establishing non-inclusive spaces. By TOD activities, I refer to TOD plans, plan-making, plan implementation, and developments related to TOD plans. The following research questions guide this research: 1) Does gentrification and TOD related neighborhood change occur in light rail transit station neighborhoods? 2) What principles guide TOD activities? 3) What are the (overall and inclusive) TOD activities planners should undertake? 4) What overall and inclusive TOD activities occur? 5) How can planners better assist in establishing inclusive TOD neighborhoods? I answer these questions through a mixed method analysis, employing both quantitative and qualitative analyses. First, I use spatial regression analyses to explore the relationship between gentrification-related residential change and LRT stations. The results from the analyses point toward St. Louis, Missouri and the Delmar Loop TOD site specifically as a place to further examine gentrification and inclusivity. Second, I undertake a case study of the Delmar Loop utilizing interviews, observations, and document analysis to identify and analyze whether and how planners engage in inclusive TOD activities. I ultimately found that: 1) planners did not assist in establishing the Delmar Loop TOD site as an inclusive neighborhood and; 2) it is not a homogenous neighborhood where all TOD residents and spaces benefit from transit and neighborhood developments. Delmar Loop TOD activities ignored a portion of the TOD site largely occupied by minorities that most needed neighborhood improvements and increased transit access. Overall, the results of this dissertation describe the ways that planners consciously and inadvertently undertake activities that socially, spatially, and economically affect urban spaces largely occupied by minorities and the poor. Demonstrating how such planning activities unfold will show the specific, everyday ways in which blacks, minorities in general, and the poor are marginalized – contributing to the production and reproduction of U.S. urban segregation. The study of the Delmar Loop TOD site is instructive to TOD planners in general as it shows how not maintaining active leadership focusing on inclusion may possibly result in non-inclusive neighborhoods. It is also instructive to planners as it identifies how not identifying existing contextual issues may result in the marginalization of black (and minorities in general) and poor TOD residents. Both of which specifically aim to ensure that the people who need urban inclusion the most are served through projects improving transit access

Measurement of the inclusive isolated-photon cross section in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV using 36 fb−1 of ATLAS data

The differential cross section for isolated-photon production in pp collisions is measured at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC using an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb. The differential cross section is presented as a function of the photon transverse energy in different regions of photon pseudorapidity. The differential cross section as a function of the absolute value of the photon pseudorapidity is also presented in different regions of photon transverse energy. Next-to-leading-order QCD calculations from Jetphox and Sherpa as well as next-to-next-to-leading-order QCD calculations from Nnlojet are compared with the measurement, using several parameterisations of the proton parton distribution functions. The predictions provide a good description of the data within the experimental and theoretical uncertainties. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

How Does Light Rail Transit (LRT) Impact Gentrification? Evidence from Fourteen US Urbanized Areas

This study examines the relationship between light rail transit (LRT) stations and changes in neighborhood characteristics associated with gentrification using spatial regression analyses with longitudinal data across 14 US urbanized areas (UAs). Overall, we do not find evidence of prevalent gentrification in LRT station areas. An analysis of UA-specific impacts shows heterogeneous outcomes across different UAs, particularly: strong transit-oriented development (TOD) effects accompanied by gentrification in San Francisco and TOD with countergentrification in Portland. Our results highlight that different local and regional planning efforts can lead to different types of changes in transit station neighborhoods

What remains? The influence of light rail transit on discretionary income

A growing number of studies examine the affordability benefits of living near transit, especially fixed-rail, with the assumption that transportation benefits of transit neighborhoods outweigh increasing housing costs. Yet these studies only compare housing and transportation costs. This study adds to the existing literature by investigating the influence of new light rail on changes in discretionary income in urbanized areas. We examine such changes from 2000 to 2010 at the block group level, comparing light rail neighborhoods (LRNs) and Non-LRNs, across 20 U.S. urban areas that opened light rail stations between this time period. Using descriptive statistical measures and OLS regressions, we find that while discretionary income decreased overall, neighborhoods with light rail provide a positive influence on discretionary income. Overall, our findings suggest light rail neighborhoods provide greater affordability benefits than non-light rail neighborhoods

The Impact of a Single Bus Rapid Transit Corridor on Transit Ridership: The Winnipeg Example

This research explores how the implementation of a single bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor affected transit ridership change in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Key issues in measuring ridership change resulting from BRT include (1) understanding stop-level- rather than corridor-level change; (2) examining the ridership impacts of new infrastructure where there is no comparable pre-BRT infrastructure; and (3) assessing piecemeal implementation of BRT. To address these issues, we undertook a quasi-experimental study using agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC), propensity score matching (PSM), and t-tests with Cohen’s d to determine BRT’s causal ridership impact. The use of AHC and PSM in what we refer to as cluster-level modeling provided an improved method for measuring causal ridership change at the stop cluster level in areas with no pre-BRT stations. The results revealed no statistical evidence that BRT caused increased transit ridership for stop clusters directly along the BRT corridor. However, the results did indicate that stop clusters for routes connecting to a BRT station experienced an increase in transit ridership. The importance of such findings is grounded in understanding that a limited number of stops along a single corridor may not be enough to affect transit ridership, yet BRT’s flexibility in being able to operate off the BRT corridor does enhance transit ridership

The route not taken: Equity and transparency in unfunded transit proposals

Transportation equity research and assessments undertaken by academics and practitioners stretches back decades. Despite the abundance of work, questions still remain about how decisions are made in the transportation planning process, including how routes are analyzed and prioritized. To understand this, we examine the potential equity outcomes of bus rapid transit routes that were neither funded nor constructed in three Canadian case studies (Ottawa, ON; Winnipeg, MB; and York, ON). Through a mixed-methods approach including spatial analysis, content analysis, and interviews, we analyze the equity implications of both built and unbuilt route options, and transparency in the planning processes. Relying primarily on publicly-available data may have limitations for understanding decision-making, yet it also provides insight into the transparency of processes. While in some cases, built BRT routes serve a larger proportion overall of high-need census tracts than proposed options, several unbuilt route options would have likely provided greater improvements for equity-seeking groups in these cities. Despite the push towards increased public engagement in transportation planning, we find a lack of explicit or systematic documentation as to why routes were discarded. With multiple priorities shaping transportation planning and decision-making, planners and policy-makers should be explicit in both the selection criteria used and how they are weighted

Equity in practice? Evaluations of equity in planning for bus rapid transit

The distribution of transportation benefits is mediated through planning professionals and elected officials, who frame the goals of these investments and can prioritize the importance of fairness in decision-making. Despite increasing evidence of the importance of transportation equity, there are broad questions about how equity principles factor into planning processes. This work provides an empirical analysis of the role of transit equity in planning for BRT investments in three Canadian metropolitan areas. Our findings show that transit equity rarely figured into the design and planning of BRT systems and there is a lack of clarity in both defining equity and determining how it should be integrated in planning processes. Most definitions of transit equity focused on the equal distribution of resources for all groups, rather than consideration of transit-dependent riders. Equity outcomes were also in conflict with other goals, as BRT systems were viewed largely as a tool for encouraging development and focused on attracting car drivers to transit. This paper argues that there needs to be a better understanding of the values and priorities of those involved in professional and political decision-making processes if transit equity goals are to be realized

Transit development and housing displacement: The case of the Chicago Red Line Extension

Chicago\u27s South Side has long been characterized as a “transit desert” – an area with high transit inaccessibility and insufficient infrastructure to meet residents\u27 needs (Jiao & Dillivan, 2013). Without adequate transit, residents cannot reach employment opportunities or regional amenities – contributing to economic, spatial, and social marginalization. The Chicago Transit Authority\u27s proposed Red Line Extension (RLE) is designed to connect the city\u27s far south side neighborhoods to Chicago\u27s core. Given the scope of the RLE, 175 parcels have been chosen for demolition, meaning that a similar number of households face displacement to make room for the RLE right of way – which may have potentially negative consequences in realizing the subsequent benefits of improved transit access. In this article, we perform an ex-ante analysis of RLE induced displacement. Specifically, we: 1) predict potential location choices that transit displacees are most likely to choose; and 2) analyze these locations in relation to access to transit, amenities, employment, and housing affordability, among others. Within the context of transportation planning, ex-ante analysis is important because it can minimize unintended and negative consequences of transit-induced displacement – like decreased transit access and a loss of potential neighborhood improvements - by predicting potential relocation choices for displacees. Such predicted choices can help planners and decision-makers better understand the trade-offs for directly affected households and thereby allow planners and decision-makers to assist in relocation assistance that maximizes the benefits of the necessarily displaced

Post-conflict News and Information Needs of West African Farmers: Voices from Côte d’Ivoire and Mali

During the decades following the independence of Sub-Saharan African countries, many. Farmers were severely affected by armed conflicts. News and information providers could provide important support toward the economic recovery of these farmers and the rebuilding of their communities. This qualitative study sought to explore farmers’ perceptions on the role of media and other sources in disseminating news and information after armed conflicts ceased in Côte d’Ivoire and in Mali. The study involved10 key informants, five from each country. Rigorous qualitative research procedures were used to collect and analyze the study’s data. Six themes emerged from the interviews. Farmers perceived the media were interested in reporting about their regions only during the conflicts. They also indicated the absence of Extension or other forms of rural advisory services during and after armed conflicts. However, all 10keyinformants perceived the media could assist in recovery and rebuilding efforts and should deliver related information in their local languages as well as provide programs targeting women and youth. Recommendations for policy and practice are offered. In addition, topics are identified on which to train communicators and Extension/advisory agents to meet the information needs of farmers who experience the effects of armed conflic