Mobility and Accessibility of Hispanics in Small Town and Rural Areas

The Hispanic population is rapidly increasing in the U.S., particularly in non-metropolitan counties in the Midwest and South, including Iowa. The status of non-metropolitan Hispanics raises concerns about their accessibility because of the low-density built environment and socioeconomic factors that may reduce their mobility. Hispanic people in rural areas generally have lower income than non-Hispanic whites, and they also face language barriers in receiving public assistance. This project examines mobility and accessibility difficulties that Hispanic population in small town and rural area are facing, using several manufacturing areas in Iowa as examples. Specifically, the researcher will conduct mail-in surveys and telephone follow-up interviews on Hispanic population around four towns in Iowa: Marshalltown, Columbus Junction, West Liberty, and Carroll. The survey will examine who in the Hispanic community suffers from mobility limitation and how much informal mobility support is provided within the community. The survey will also investigate barriers the Hispanic population faces in using public transit service or public fund for transportation. After the survey, the principal investigator will follow up with telephone interviews to identify more detailed travel diary data to specify the needs for transportation services. All of the processes will be planned and conducted with a Spanish-speaking research assistant hired using grant funds. From literature and preliminary interviews, it is expected that Hispanic families have difficulty in getting access to goods and services for their daily needs. Since the proportion of senior citizens is small in these Hispanic communities, the main source of troubles would likely be scheduling vehicle usage between commuting and discretionary trips, particularly related to children. The final product of this project will be a quantitative analysis of the survey result to illustrate mobility and accessibility of rural Hispanics, and a qualitative analysis of their barriers in using public transportation services.

Language

  • English

Project

  • Status: Completed
  • Funding: $23548.00
  • Contract Numbers:

    DTRT12-G-UTC07

  • Sponsor Organizations:

    Research and Innovative Technology Administration

    University Transportation Centers Program
    1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
    Washington, DC  United States  20590
  • Performing Organizations:

    University of Iowa, Iowa City

    102 Church Street
    Iowa City, IA  United States  52242
  • Principal Investigators:

    Matsuo, Miwa

  • Start Date: 20120701
  • Expected Completion Date: 0
  • Actual Completion Date: 20131231
  • Source Data: RiP Project 32787

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01483139
  • Record Type: Research project
  • Source Agency: Mid-America Transportation Center
  • Contract Numbers: DTRT12-G-UTC07
  • Files: UTC, RIP
  • Created Date: Jun 5 2013 1:01AM