Understanding the Relationship Between Changes in Accessibility to Jobs, Income, and Unemployment in Toronto, Canada

In many cities, transport investments are being directed towards increasing access in socially deprived neighbourhoods in order to enhance quality of life and improve equity. However, little research has been conducted to assess the impacts of such targeted interventions on the well being of these individuals and the resulting equity of outcome. This study aims to evaluate the impacts of accessibility improvements overtime on neighbourhood socio-economic status, by examining the relationship between changes in accessibility to employment opportunities by public transport and changes in income and unemployment in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, Canada (GTHA). To investigate this relationship, two linear regression models are proposed in the authors' study. The results show that accessibility to jobs by public transport is vertically equitable in the GTHA (i.e., low-income neighborhoods experience higher levels of accessibility), although vertical equity decreased during the study period. The regression models suggest that, for low and medium income census tracts, transit accessibility improvements are associated with increases in median household income and decreases in the unemployment rate, whilst controlling for local migration. For high-income census tracts, increases in accessibility by public transport are related to decreases in income, potentially due to the migration of high income populations to less dense neighbourhoods, away from transit. The relationship uncovered in this study highlights the impacts of accessibility improvements on low and medium income areas. The findings from the authors' study provide a case for transport engineers, planners, and policy makers regarding the importance of positive changes in accessibility as a tool to derive equity outcomes in low income areas.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AP025 Standing Committee on Public Transportation Planning and Development.
• Authors:
  • Deboosere, Robbin
  • Boisjoly, Geneviève
  • El-Geneidy, Ahmed
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2018-1-7 to 2018-1-11
• Date: 2018

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 19p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; Equity; Investments; Jobs; Linear regression analysis; Low income groups; Neighborhoods; Public transit; Socioeconomic factors; Unemployment
• Geographic Terms: Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA)
• Subject Areas: Economics; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01662537
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 18-00763
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 12 2018 3:02PM