Two separate reports released this month reinforce the need for more affordable housing near public transit.
The first report, released September 9 by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), investigates issues of affordable housing and transit-oriented development. The second, released September 30 by AARP with the National Housing Trust and Reconnecting America, examines the proximity of sections 8, 202, and 811 housing to transit and the impact this proximity or lack of has on residents, especially seniors.
Ultimately, both studies conclude that public transit improves the quality of life of those living around it by connecting people to neighbors, goods, and services, as well as employment and educational opportunities. Furthermore, with evidence that land values go up when public transit is easily accessible and with two-thirds of the federally subsidized affordable housing units located near transit set to expire within the next five years, the reports both note that steps must be taken to preserve, if not increase, the number of affordable units around public transit areas.
The GAO examined literature, reports, prior research and interviews of government and local officials for eight cities in an attempt to answer the following questions: whether or not transit-oriented developments affected the availability of affordable homes; how local, state and federal agencies are working to ensure that affordable housing is available in transit-oriented places; and whether the collaboration between the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) and HUD is ensuring that transportation and affordable housing are integrated in transit-oriented areas.
GAO concluded that while it is generally accepted that housing costs rise with the introduction of a public transit station, this cannot be concluded definitively with the current available data and research. However, the authors conclude that because of the social, health and cost benefits associated with public transit it is important for communities to protect current affordable housing near public transit and provide incentives to developers in order to produce more affordable units that are accessible to public transit options. The report calls on state and local governments to development plans to build and preserve affordable housing in transit-oriented developments, and at the same time recommends that HUD and FTA develop a joint implementation plan to support these efforts.
The AARP report is based on a quantitative study of 20 metropolitan areas and a qualitative study through tenant interviews in Boston, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Miami, and Minneapolis/St. Paul. Both the qualitative and quantitative research compared affordable housing, particularly housing that serves elderly households, for people within a quarter mile and a half mile public transit as well as those that were further away. The authors conclude that individuals and communities benefit the most from public transit when they can easily access frequent and reliable transit from their homes. Unfortunately, the study found that this type of affordable living situation is often either unavailable or does not meet the demands of the area.
The GAO study can be found at: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-871
The AARP study can be found at: http://www.aarp.org/research/ppi/liv-com/housing/articles/2009-15.html