Written by Cecilia Morales-Barraza:
Public transportation, commuting times, and the walkability of cities are heavily interconnected factors which form the key aspects of urban transportation. By creating more walkable cities and investing in quality transportation, we can form an environment that is not only sustainable, but equitable for all Americans.
Public Transportation
From buses to subways, trains to streetcars, public transportation appears to be prominent and accessible in the United States. In fact, Americans took 9.9 billion trips using public transportation systems in 2019. This method of commuting offers an array of benefits, such as increased road safety, environmental preservation, and affordable travel. According to the American Public Transport Association, individuals are 10 times safer per mile traveling by public transportation than by automobile. By selecting the option of public transit over a car, people can reduce their likelihood of being in an accident by over 90%. Conveniently, this method of travel also saves people money and offers transportation to those who cannot afford a vehicle, all while contributing to a reduction of traffic congestion. From an environmentalist perspective, public transportation also saves the United States 6 billion gallons of gasoline yearly, while simultaneously reducing national carbon emissions by 63 million.
Although most American cities offer some type of public transportation, reliable, high-frequency transit is much scarcer. In 2016, 12.2 million people lived in cities with no high-frequency transit, meaning that the available public transportation did not run at least once every 15 minutes. A report from 2019 found that 45% of Americans have no access to public transportation whatsoever. It is also critical to note that there is a clear demographic skew regarding who has access to quality public transit. It was found that neighborhoods near quality transit often had minimal amounts of people of color. Denver, Houston, and Detroit all exhibit this inequity. An investment in high-quality transit infrastructure within cities is essential to providing equitable public transportation.
Commuting Times
Together with quality public transit comes reducing individual commuting times. According to the United States Census Bureau, the average American spends 53.6 minutes a day commuting. This adds up to 4.5 hours of commuting time for a 5-day work week, and 234 hours a year. The length of commuting time varies by race and socioeconomic status. The National Equity Atlas found that Black and Asian American workers have had the longest commute times for the past 30 years. Specifically, they found that when Black workers commute by public transportation, their commute time increases to 52 minutes each way, totaling just under 2 hours daily. Additionally, it was found that immigrant workers experience longer average commute times than U.S.-born workers across all racial and ethnic groups except for Pacific Islanders.
Equity within urban transportation is crucial, especially since long commute times have been found to lead to higher stress levels, increased pollution exposure, and less sleep. This indicates that while commuting may seem like a small factor, it can actually dictate a person’s quality of life.
Walkable Cities
Over the past decades, there has been a growing desire among Americans to live in walkable areas. Living in walkable cities poses many benefits for residents including improved safety along with an increase in mental and physical health. The results of a survey from the National Association of Realtors found that people who classify their neighborhoods as walkable show much higher satisfaction with their quality of life compared to those who do not perceive their cities as walkable.
According to the 2023 Foot Traffic Ahead report, despite how many people have transitioned to remote work, the desire for walkable urban spaces is persisting. This growing demand does not match the land supply, however. It was calculated that only 1.2% of the landmass among the top 35 metropolitan areas is walkable. These areas are seeing elevated costs of living due to their desirability, which poses a serious potential threat to poorer people who currently reside in these walkable urban areas.
Growing the supply of walkable cities is an imperative step to take when considering the future of urban America. Doing so will both decrease the risk of gentrification while also offering all the US an opportunity to live in a healthy, sustainable, equitable environment.