Lost in the Transit Desert

Race, Transit Access, and Suburban Form

Diane Jones Allen

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781317356868
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: Urban Planning & Landscaping

Increased redevelopment, the dismantling of public housing, and increasing housing costs are forcing a shift in migration of lower income and transit dependent populations to the suburbs. These suburbs are often missing basic transportation, and strategies to address this are lacking. This absence of public transit creates barriers to viable employment and accessibility to cultural networks, and plays a role in increasing social inequality.

This book investigates how housing and transport policy have played their role in creating these "Transit Deserts, " and what impact race has upon those likely to be affected. Diane Jones Allen uses research from New Orleans, Baltimore, and Chicago to explore the forces at work in these situations, as well as proposing potential solutions. Mapping, interviews, photographs, and narratives all come together to highlight the inequities and challenges in Transit Deserts, where a lack of access can make all journeys, such as to jobs, stores, or relatives, much more difficult. Alternatives to public transit abound, from traditional methods such as biking and carpooling to more culturally specific tactics, and are examined comprehensively.

This is valuable reading for students and researchers interested in transport planning, urban planning, city infrastructure, and transport geography.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• List of figures and table
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1 Theorizing the origin of and defining Transit Deserts
• 2 Transit Desert case studies
• 3 Forecasting for the desert
• 4 Solutions for traveling in the desert
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Index