What is “Equitable Transportation”?

It means all community members within a planned development have fair access to reliable, affordable, and safe transportation regardless users’ background and their socioeconomic status.

Why is “Equitable Transportation " critical for our cities, communities, or even neighborhoods?

With equitable transportation, we can reduce dependency on private vehicles, hence reducing air pollution caused by vehicle emissions. According to statistics (1), air pollution kills about 3 million people worldwide each year, significantly adding to healthcare costs and environmental risk.

Equitable transportation can also prevent urban sprawl. It is estimated that cities will add 2.5 billion people within the next three decades. With equitable transportation, the development footprint can be reduced significantly, hence preventing the sprawling phenomenon.

p.s. During 1990-2015, the urban footprint of cities in less developed countries increased 3.5 times on average. Meanwhile, city densities declined 2.1% in more developed countries.

How to measure “Equitability” in transportation?

“Transportation equity means that transportation decisions are made with deep and meaningful community input that leads to transportation networks and land use structures that support health and well-being, environmental sustainability, and equitable access to resources and opportunities.”— How can cities create more equitable transportation systems? (2)

Though such a definition did not provide a specific measurement or formula to account for equity, both LEED ND and LEED Cities + Communities include a credit called “Access to quality transit,” offering planning guidance to reach equity goals.

The credit requires projects to be located on a site with existing/planned transit services. So that 50 percent of dwellings and non-residential entrances are within 1/2 or 1/4 miles of walking distance from all transits. Those transit services include bus, streetcar, ridershare, rapid bus transit, commuter rail, or ferry terminals. The credit also counts for the service’s weekday and weekend trips to reach higher points. Within such advance planning, dwellers could have equitable access to most activity destinations.

What is “Paratransit”?

Paratransit is a specialized public transportation service designed for individuals who are unable to use regular fixed-route bus or train service due to their disabilities. It acts as a “safety net” and ensures transportation access for the underserved population.

How to make a neighborhood “Accessible”?

There are three planning strategies to make a neighborhood accessible.

Action 1: Build a complete, democratic, and safe street network: Implement “Complete Street” principle- require selected roadways to accommodate public transportation such as BRT (bus rapid transit) or light rail system.

Action 2: Develop an ecosystem of integrated user-oriented transport services: Specific strategies for such an ecosystem include building an integrated pedestrian-friendly transfer facility; reorganizing bus and informal transit routes, and promoting an integrated fare-payment solution to seamlessly connect users between systems.

Action 3: Manage the demand for private vehicle use: This action includes discouraging the use of private vehicles in the city core, promoting shared mobility, and ensuring transit-oriented developments.

What is the benefit of an “Accessible Neighborhood”?

Well-located dwellers and reachable jobs: The populations that dwell in such neighborhoods are “well-served”, meaning dwellers have reachable jobs within 60 minutes travel time based on the main transportation.
Decrease congestion and increase productivity: An accessible neighborhood could reduce congestion notably. Traffic congestion is the biggest issue for commuter workers. According to statistics, in Asia, the value of time lost in congestion ranges between 2 to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

p.s. The access-mobility framework allows us to identify 4 groups of urban dewellers: well-located commuters, well-located urbanites, mobile underserved dwellers, and standard underserved dwellers. These four quadrants are separated by “mobility expenditure” and “accessibility”, which you can refer to the diagram below.

What is “Complete Street”?

“Complete street” is a planning principle. It changes the area’s transportation paradigm, emphasizing the creation of a street that is safe, accessible, and enjoyable for individuals of all ages and abilities.

What is City Safer by Design?

It is a global reference to help cities save lives from traffic fatalities through improved street design and smart urban development.

The guideline recommends specific design elements to help cities reach the goals. These elements are:

Urban Design Elements— such as smaller-sized blocks, frequent street connections, narrower streets, and access to destinations.
Traffic calming elements— such as speed humps, chicanes, curb extensions, and raised pedestrian crossing
Pedestrian-safety elements— such as clear crossings, medians, and refuge islands.
The guideline also recommends particular design features such as pedestrian facilities, bicycling features, and safety improvements.

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