Effect of New Rail Transit Stations on Income Distribution of Nearby Residential Moves

This project brief summarizes findings from a project aimed at addressing the question of "Is new rail transit associated with displacement of low-income residents in near-rail neighborhoods?" To address this question, the researchers used annual data on household locations and incomes from 1994 to 2012 to examine neighborhood income distributions and the pattern of residential moves by income in Los Angeles rail transit neighborhoods. The Los Angeles metropolitan area presents an ideal study area for analyzing transit-oriented development (TOD) and potential displacement. Since 1990, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro) has opened 93 new rail-transit stations. An additional 17 are under construction.View the NCST Project Webpag

Displacement and Commuting in the San Francisco Bay Area and Beyond: An Analysis of the Relationship Between the Housing Crisis, Displacement, and Long Commutes

Caltrans: 65A0674 and US DOT: 69A3551747109We use four data sets to study supercommuting in the San Francisco Bay Area and Central Valley of California. We follow previous research in defining supercommuting as commutes longer than 50 miles or 90 minutes one-way. The San Francisco Bay Area has some of the highest housing costs in the United States, and anecdotal evidence has long suggested that households might move from the Bay Area to Central Valley counties, possibly enduring long commutes if they cannot move their job at the same time. Yet evidence on a link between supercommuting and house prices has been limited by data availability. We use the data first to demonstrate that the supercommute is far from uncommon, with some Central Valley counties having supercommuting rates that approach 10 percent of all county commutes. We use data on household moves, from zip code tabulation area to zip code tabulation area (ZCTA to ZCTA), to examine how supercommuting rates at the ZCTA level are linked to flows of in-migration from the Bay Area into the Central Valley. We find evidence that suggests that ZCTAs with higher in-migration flows from the Bay Area have higher supercommuting rates

The Evolution of the Los Angeles Metro Rail Station Neighborhoods: Moves, Rents, and Permits

The Los Angeles rail transit system is the largest infrastructure investment in the City and County in decades. Transportation investments influence not only the way persons travel, but also the character of neighborhoods and the pattern of building, land use, and land prices. For that reason, rail transit generally and rail transit in Los Angeles have been increasingly caught up in the debate about displacement and gentrification. Do these investments increase housing prices in neighborhoods, forcing out the long-time residents who might most benefit from the new transportation options? This report is the result of a four-year research program that brings new data to bear on this question. It utilizes new data along with existing data sources to establish a fact base that can inform transit, housing, and land use planning in Los Angeles

Residential Moves near Red Line and Purple Line Stations from 1993- 2013 in Los Angeles, CA

CCF BA-18-147082Intra-urban household mobility has been a feature of U.S. metropolitan areas for over a century. This mobility may positively or negatively affect households. Positive or \u2018upward\u2019 mobility may reflect a move for a better job, better housing, a better neighborhood, toward homeownership, or to attain more education.1 Negative mobility, often termed displacement, may occur if a household is evicted or unable to pay increased rent. Both positive and negative mobility are included in the baseline mobility in a metropolitan area. While negative mobility is the primary interest of this study, we first establish a mobility baseline for Los Angeles County and then measure differential mobility (which we will call displacement going forward) in rail station areas along the Red and Purple Line Subway

Sustainable and Affordable Housing Near Rail Transit: Refining and Expanding a Scenario Planning Tool

65A0533What are the travel behavior goals of transit-oriented developments (TODs) and are they achieving them? Does TOD policy fit all goals? This report examines the relationship between travel behavior, transit access, income, and neighborhood type in the context of environmental, system efficiency, and social equity goals. Based on analyses of four metropolitan areas in California, the findings indicate that higher-income households reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) most, relative to households in other income categories, when living near transit regardless of neighborhood type. In contrast, lower-income households use the transit system more when living in denser, transit-served neighborhoods. Furthermore, empirical evidence suggests that lower-income households tend to own older vehicles, and are less likely to own hybrid or electric vehicles. Thus, although higher-income households reduce their VMT more relative to lower-income households when living near transit, households\u2019 reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions may be even larger across income categories. In light of these observations, it seems that joint consideration of the needs and behaviors of both higher-and lower-income populations are integral when planning and establishing goals for TODs

Commuting During and after COVID-19: The Impact of COVID-19 on Shared Mobility and Extreme Commuting in the Bay Area - Central Valley

USDOT Grant 69A3551747109Caltrans contract 65A0674 TO 64This project looks at the mobility patterns and experience in using alternative modes of transportation for disadvantaged workers during COVID-19 in California\u2019s Bay Area and Central Valley. We use governmental survey data of commuters and traffic data from StreetLight to document mobility patterns of the two distinct regions throughout the pandemic. Our findings from SJCOG\u2019s dibs survey suggests that dibs service affects mode choice by increasing the share of commuters who use carpool / vanpool and decreasing the share of those who drive alone. These gains remained sticky during the Covid-19 pandemic. Survey results also point out that carpool / vanpool programs in this region are used by a rather narrow demographic. This group of workers were also more likely to be deemed \u201cessential\u201d and were less likely to work remotely during the pandemic. Evidence from our COVID-19 and commute analysis provides verification of existing income and occupation disparities in commute flexibility that likely contribute to making people more vulnerable to COVID-19. During the first one and a half years of COVID-19, lower-income, essential natural resource and production workers traveled more are more likely to face higher exposure to COVID-19 at their workplace, while higher-income, office workers were able to travel less and shield themselves

Sustainability and Displacement: Assessing the Spatial Pattern of Residential Moves Near Rail Transit [Brief]

As the construction and usage of rail transit proliferates in cities across the world, concerns abound about impacts on surrounding neighborhoods \u2013 including gentrification and displacement. Los Angeles County has seen a massive rail transit buildout going from zero to 93 stations along 6 lines in 25 years

Gentrification Near Rail Transit Areas: A Micro-Data Analysis of Moves Into Los Angeles Metro Rail Station Areas

This report seeks to shed light on this latter concern. It begins with a brief summary of the evidence from prior studies on both rail-related housing price increases and changing composition. It then introduces a newly available data source, which we use to examine the relationship between new rail transit station opening and neighborhood income composition. This report aims to determine whether a rail station opening in Los Angeles County is associated with the share and income composition of residents who move in and out of neighborhoods near that rail station. Specifically, we address the following questions regarding gentrification and its tie to rail transit stations: \u2022 Who moves into rail-station neighborhoods and when? \u2022 Are higher income households growing as a share of station area population relative to lower-income households? \u2022 Do rail stations cause this phenomenon or is this happening regardless of the transit investment? The Los Angeles metropolitan area presents an ideal study area for analyzing transit-oriented development (TOD) and potential displacement. Prior to 1990, Los Angeles had not had any intra-urban rail transit service for decades. Since then, 93 new rail-transit stations (see Figure 1 for map) were opened by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (L.A. Metro) and an additional 17 are currently under construction (Boarnet et al., 2015). This buildout amounts to about half of the U.S. spending on new rail transit (L.A. Metro, 2009). Within L.A. Metro, 21% of its budget from 2005-2040 will go toward rail transit capital and operations expenditures (L.A. Metro, 2009). Concurrently, regional and local plans envision that over half of new housing and employment to occur within a half-mile of a well-serviced transit corridor, including rail (L.A. Metro, 2009; SCAG, 2012)

Residential care in California

We examine the distribution of residential care in California, showing geographical disparities in care supply and need. We mapped the ratio of beds to older women in Los Angeles and San Diego County census tracts and concentrations of small and large facilities in the Cities of Los Angeles and San Diego. The largest ratios of residential care beds per older women occur on the border of the City of San Diego and on the periphery of Los Angeles County away from the City of Los Angeles. Clusters of small facilities take place in northern Los Angeles and southeastern San Diego, while clusters of large facilities occur in Downtown Los Angeles and near La Jolla. Understanding geographical disparities in residential care supply and need in California can help residential care developers, service providers, and local and state agencies partner in planning for residential care facility development in underserved areas