Abstract:
Our work exploring preferences of Denver metropolitan area households in deciding where to live provides important insights for regions seeking to leverage investments in transit and promote social equity through transit-oriented communities (TOC). Through a choice-based approach that improves on standard methodologies, we find evidence of widespread support for characteristics of TOC, with similar preferences for transit- and pedestrian-accessible environments among low-income and more affluent households. However, despite these similar preferences, we find that affluent households moved to station areas after the arrival of light rail in much larger proportions than low-income households, pointing to trends that are consistent with local and national evidence of increased housing prices near transit. If these trends continue without additional supplies of housing affordable to low- and moderate-income households in transit-rich neighbourhoods, those who are most likely to benefit from and use transit are likely to face increasing difficulty in realizing preferences for TOCs.
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