Mobility, Accessibility and Disadvantaged Neighborhoods: Assessing Diversity in Transportation-Related Needs and Opportunities

Project Description

The findings and products from the proposed project will help improve the allocation and targeting of transportation and other government investments to benefit disadvantaged neighborhoods. The state has made a commitment to equity as a part of its ambitious climate-change initiative (e.g., SB 535 and AB 617). Transportation is a key element, but the state appears to have been slow to implement policies and programs to improve the quality of life, public health, and economic opportunity in marginalized communities (California Environmental Justice Alliance, 2017). Currently, we do not know enough about how urban neighborhoods are different than rural ones, as well as those in suburbs and exurbs, despite the real possibility that the differences can have profound implications on mobility. Moreover, the lack of detailed information can make it difficult to effectively match funds to neighborhood-specific needs and opportunities. The proposed project will fill this lacuna by empirically examining and documenting the diversity among disadvantaged neighborhoods in terms of transportation, land-use patterns, and accessibility.