Our streets are the backdrop for social justice. On our streets, we see discriminatory policing targeting people of color. On our streets, we see protests to dismantle systemic racism. On our streets, there is more danger for pedestrians of color, as the rate of pedestrian deaths per 100,000 is 12% higher for Latinos and 48% higher for Blacks than whites. So why are our street planners mostly white, and mostly male? In fact, 88% of practicing urban and transportation planners self-identified as white, according to a 2013 American Planning Association Survey. That’s why, in the summer of 2020, Portland State University’s Urban Studies and Planning department reviewed the syllabi for core courses to determine how many readings and assignments were on topics of race and ...
Housing and transportation are two key ingredients for health equity. In a good combination, people easily find affordable housing near schools, jobs, groceries, and healthcare. In a bad combination, people struggle to find affordable housing near essential destinations and transportation options. They have to rely on expensive vehicle ownership or infrequent transit with unsafe streets and no sidewalks or bike lanes. Which does your neighborhood have? City leaders probably don’t know. So they aren’t able to invest in a meaningful mix of affordable housing and transportation. Residents can’t find a good combination, either. LINK Houston is trying to change that. The advocates’ report, Where Affordable Housing and Transportation Meet in Houston, helps city and ...
Decades of decisions fueled by structural racism have built a society with no health equity, where many groups lack a fair, just opportunity to be their healthiest. This is especially true in our transportation system. Past and present planning, policy, and funding decisions have failed to provide equitable, affordable, safe, convenient, and reliable transportation options for all, from the local to federal levels. Dismantling these inequities requires intentional effort. That’s why Smart Growth America conducted a field scan to explore promising opportunities to achieve equitable public infrastructure, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The report spells out the six biggest challenges to health equity facing our transportation system (and the 40 ...
Check out these new Spanish-language research materials on the alarming state of Latino housing, transportation, and green space from our team at Salud America! UT Health San Antonio. The new Spanish materials are based on an English research review earlier in 2019. The research found that, sadly, U.S. Latino communities face unaffordable housing, unreliable public transportation, and a lack of green space and parks. This limits Latinos’ access to health-promoting assets─medical care, good schools, healthy food, and physical activity. This also contributes to health inequities. Fortunately, community leaders can adopt dynamic land-use methods, public-private partnerships, and community involvement to build and revitalize Latino neighborhoods. This can create affordable ...
Fred Dock knows that, as cities grow, managing transportation gets tougher. Dock, who headed up transportation for Pasadena, Calif. (34.4% Latino), also knows many cities overly focus on reducing automobile congestion and boosting speed, thus neglect walking, biking, and transit. Two things happen in these cities. Roads become dangerous for people walking and biking, and people are forced to depend on automobiles—the dirtiest, least efficient, and most expensive mode of travel. Dock wanted to help Pasadena out of this trap. Pasadena city leaders hoped to create an integrated, multimodal transportation system with choices and accessibility for everyone. But they wouldn’t achieve this vision using current auto-centric road metrics—that’s when Dock stepped up to ...
Do you know how roadways are graded? Most transportation indicators grade based on the level of motor vehicle traffic on a road, with little consideration for people walking, bike or taking transit, and vehicle travel. This leads planners to design car-focused roads that neglect transit and non-motorized travel, which is counterproductive to social, environmental, and health goals. Using level of service (LOS), for example, to assess road performance tends to expand roadways and increase vehicular speeds to benefit cars and trucks only. This ends up enabling more vehicle travel and reducing feasibility of walking, biking, and busing. That’s why five early-adopter cities in California transitioned away from a narrow focus on moving as many cars as fast as possible, to a more ...
The methods used to measure and analyze the impact of transportation projects matter for health, equity and sustainability. Vehicle delay, for example, is a poor measure of transportation impact and incorrectly equates low levels of auto delay with mobility and preservation of the environment. Yet, many regions and states rely on vehicle delay to determine which projects get funded and expedited. Measuring the amount and distance of vehicle travel rather than delay encourages infrastructure for transit and non-motorized travel and facilitates mixed-use, transit-oriented development (TOD) and infill development. Measuring vehicle miles traveled can help cities reach climate, equity, health, and sustainability goals. Let’s use #SaludTues on November 5, 2019, to tweet about ...
Our team at Salud America! of UT Health San Antonio is bringing together a new group of transportation, affordable housing, and health leaders from all across the country to promote equity in transportation for Latinos, thanks to a new Innovation, Equity and Exploration (IEE) grant from the Voices for Healthy Kids network! The one-year, $30,000 grant will address equity gaps in the planning of transit, walking, and bicycling projects. September 2020 UPDATE: Innovations in Transportation Equity for Latino Communities Voices for Healthy Kids IEE Grant Summary Report. September 2020 UPDATE: To learn about the workgroup findings and recommendations, join the webinar on Sept. 30, Voices for Health Kids: Innovation, Equity and Exploration Series - Equity Gaps in Latino and Rural ...
Although public transit is far safer than driving, the walk or bike to a transit stop can be hazardous. To grow transit ridership and increase the people-moving capacity of a roadway, it is critical to include active transportation as an integral element of all transit infrastructure and operations. That’s why The Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT), based in Toronto, recently released its new guidebook on that very subject. “Transit operates most effectively when planned and built in close connection to walking and cycling facilities,” the guidebook states. It highlights some of the most innovative policy strategies, implementation planning, infrastructure, and programming that transit agencies have been employed — seeking to better coordinate and improve active ...
