<p>This study examines the extent to which transit may be able
to assist with the upward mobility of low-income groups, specifically those
making less than a living wage. Previous studies relating to job accessibility
have examined the feasibility of reaching jobs using various modes of
transportation, and some have factored educational requirements into the
attainability of those jobs. However, no studies thus far have attempted to
determine transit accessibility to jobs that can facilitate and enable upward
mobility for low-income households. Employment data relevant to the labor force
of Marion County, Indiana, is used to determine the earnings (mainly wages or
salaries) associated with occupations, and which occupations require no more
than a high school education. Those occupations are then paired with the
various industries they are found in, and the earnings belonging to the
industry’s highest-earning occupation is associated with that industry. The
median household incomes of low-income Census block groups (CBGs) are then
compared to the earnings of each transit-accessible industry to evaluate
whether those earnings are large enough to induce upward mobility for those
living in the CBGs. Bus routes and bus stops for the local transit system
(IndyGo) along with workplace locations are mapped in ArcGIS to assess the
low-income population’s accessibility to workplaces belonging to a select group
of industries. </p><p> </p><p>
</p><p>Bus routes that serve both downtown Indianapolis and
low-income CBGs were found to provide people living in those CBGs with access
to some of the most lucrative jobs, particularly those found in the <i>Finance and
Insurance</i> industries. Over half of Indianapolis’ transit-accessible industries
have earnings amounts large enough to induce upward mobility for those living
in all the low-income CBGs; this corresponds to 6,748 unique workplaces.
Findings from this study suggest that low-income people would benefit from
having access to transit routes that serve downtowns and other areas with high
concentrations of white-collar jobs. Low-income Indianapolis residents informed
of this study’s results may be motivated to explore the possibilities for
better-paying jobs accessible to them by transit. Furthermore, methods used in
this study can help in ranking different transit routes for accessibility to
workplaces conducive to upward mobility. The rankings can be updated
periodically to assist in addressing equity goals for transit planning.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/16826254 |
| Date | 18 October 2021 |
| Creators | Arianna Michaela Rambaram (11546773) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/The_Role_of_Transit_in_the_Upward_Mobility_of_Low-Income_Indianapolis_Residents/16826254 |
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