Transportation Equity

We are committed to generating and synthesizing research on key civil rights and equal opportunity policies that have been neglected or overlooked.

The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), which provides over $200 billion in federal government funds for highway and public transportation investment, will expire in the fall of 2003. TEA-21 included some provisions to improve the inequities traditionally caused by transportation policies, such as allocating specific funds to allow inner-city residents to travel to suburban jobs and requiring community participation in the transportation planning process. The reauthorization of TEA-21 provides an opportunity to build on those improvements and address the continuing inequities minority and low-income communities experience.

REPORTS PUBLISHED INCLUDE:

Moving to Equity: Addressing Inequitable Effects of Transportation Policies on Minorities
Thomas W. Sanchez, Rich Stolz, and Jacinta S. Ma. June 16, 2003

Americans are increasingly mobile and ever more reliant on automobiles for meeting their travel needs, largely due to transportation policies adopted after World War II that emphasized highway development over public transportation. These and other transportation policies have had inequitable effects on minority and low-income populations, often restricting their ability to access social and economic opportunities, including job opportunities, education, health care services, places of worship, and other places such as grocery stores. Transportation policies limit access to opportunities through direct effects, such as inequitable costs, and indirect effects, such as residential segregation. The indirect effects are caused in part by the combined effects of transportation policies and land use practices.

Research Type: Final Report

Research Topic: Transportation Equity

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