1 Can LRT Improve Job Access of the Working Poor? Yingling Fan, Andrew Guthrie Rose Teng

2 Take-Away Messages 1.Significant gains in transit accessibility to low-wage jobs after the opening of the Hiawatha LRT 2.Accessibility gains not only occurred along Hiawatha but also in areas with bus connections to Hiawatha 3.Significant relocations of low-wage workers to areas near three Hiawatha LRT stations including Cedar-Riverside, Franklin Avenue and Lake Street-Midtown, as well as to areas with bus connections to Hiawatha. 4.Significant reorientation of low-wage jobs to the Hiawatha station areas in downtown Minneapolis and Bloomington’s Mall of America area.

3 Study Area 23,193 transit-served blocks –1.55 million pop; –59% of the 7-county pop. 8,921 Hiawatha-connected blocks –direct connection; –reachable within 30 mins; –0.58 million pop; –22% of the 7-county pop.

4 Concentration of Low-Wage Workers

5 Dispersion of Low-Wage Jobs

6 Before-and-After Accessibility Analysis Accessibility Measure: the # of jobs reachable within 30- mins of transit travel –Before: 2002 job info with 2000 transit network info –After: 2006 job info with 2005 transit network info Mapping the changes –Time-variant transit network (5am; 7am; noon, 5pm, 8pm) Estimating the changes base upon regression models –Use distance variables and block demographics to explain accessibility

7 Morning Peak Hour 7am-8am

8 Consistency of Accessibility Gains Throughout the Day From 5am to 9pm

9 Key Findings Significant and positive before-and-after changes; Major accessibility gains occurred –along the Hiawatha corridor –along the bus routes (especially high-frequency routes) that connect with Hiawatha Consistent accessibility gains throughout the day

10 Regression Before Hiawatha –Workers living in downtown stations areas can reach 47% more low- wage jobs than regular bus station areas. –South neighborhoods not higher –Connection areas 112% higher After Hiawatha –Downtown 59% higher –South neighborhoods 94% higher –Connection areas 136% higher

11 Before-and-After Accessibility Estimates in Connection Areas (Moring Peak Hour and Afternoon Peak Hour) 1,800 more jobs 500 more jobs

12 2,300 more jobs Before-and-After Accessibility Estimates in Connection Areas (Early Morning, Mid Day, and Evening)

13 Before-and-After Commuter Flow Analysis Estimating changes in the home-to-work BG flow volume Based upon –Characteristics of the home location Positive coefficients suggest low-wage workers’ relocation to the areas. –Characteristics of the workplace location Positive coefficients suggest low-wage employers’ relocation to the areas. –Socio-demographics of the home BG

14 Results As workplace As Residence Areas Near Downtown Hiawatha Stations 0.522*** Areas Near Cedar-Riverside, Franklin Avenue ____and Lake Street-Midtown Stations *** 0.115*** Areas Near 38 th Street, 46 th Street, 50 th Street- ______Minnehaha Park, VA Medical Center Stations *** ** Areas Near Airport and Mall of America Stations 0.127*** Areas with Bus Connections to Hiawatha 0.081*** 0.019*** Areas Near High-Frequency Bus Stops 0.075***

15 Estimated Increases in Commuter Flow Volume Compared to estimated changes in areas served by regular transit North Neighborhood stations Connection areas Downtown stations Suburb stations Connection areas Home Work , ,

16 Conclusions and Discussion Positive evidence on the role of transit in promoting social equity 1.The Hiawatha impact is regional in scale. 2.To transit planners: Transit system integration/coordination is essential to the improvement of accessibility. 3.Low-wage workers and employers are able to take advantage of the LRT, at least in the context of the Hiawatha line. 4.To land use planners: Balancing jobs and housing: NOT necessarily on the same site (i.e., balance at the corridor level NOT the station level )