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Suggested Citation:"Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Coordination of Public Transit Services and Investments with Affordable Housing Policies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26542.
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Suggested Citation:"Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Coordination of Public Transit Services and Investments with Affordable Housing Policies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26542.
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1   The nexus of transit with affordable housing, in some ways, is fundamental to transit’s very existence. Public transit provides a lower-cost mobility option for those who cannot or do not have a personal automobile to access regional destinations, including jobs, schools, and essential services. The lack of affordable, reliable, and accessible transit prevents residents living in affordable housing from fully participating in the regional economy or achieving a high quality of life. Despite this fundamental nexus, many transit agencies fail to prioritize frequent, high-quality service to areas with concentrated affordable housing. Within regions, major employers continue to locate themselves in suburban areas not well served by transit, exacerbating these challenges. Against this backdrop, a growing housing affordability crisis is affecting moderate- and upper-income households, creating additional pressures and challenges that in some cases are displacing low-income households and increasing housing instability among very low- income households. Households across income levels make trade-offs between long com- mutes and housing costs. In a growing number of regions, both urban and rural, a lack of housing is creating a new urgency for planners, including those in transportation, to engage in regional housing conversations. In 2021, as the country continued to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, almost every region is facing housing affordability and transit crises. Solutions to help recover both can be found in their improved coordination. People with low-incomes and those working in essential jobs that required workers to be on-site comprised the bulk of transit ridership during 2020-21. Rail ridership proved less resilient than bus ridership, reflecting the demographics of workers and the types of jobs that each primarily serve. Policies to provide more affordable transit fares and redesign transit networks to better connect low- income communities to essential destinations can help rebuild ridership. Improved plan- ning coordination between federally required housing and transportation plans can help to leverage funding streams, including additional private and philanthropic resources. Commitments by transit agencies to develop housing near stations and along transit cor- ridors that include affordable housing are recasting transit as more than mobility but as a community development tool. This synthesis looks at the current body of published works that focused on the affordable housing and transit nexus. This information is supplemented by a national survey completed by 51 diverse transit agencies and five case examples that explore not only ways transit agencies are coordinating but also the ways regional planning agencies, local governments, and affordable housing partners are helping to bridge housing and transit S U M M A R Y Coordination of Public Transit Services and Investments with Affordable Housing Policies

2 Coordination of Public Transit Services and Investments with Affordable Housing Policies to realize the full potential of each. While housing affordability is a challenge affecting a growing number of households, this research synthesis is focused on households earning at or below 80% of area median income (AMI). These low-income households face the greatest housing cost burdens and are more likely to rely on transit to provide mobility. The current state of the practice is presented, along with a set of future research questions and areas where additional information on best practices will facilitate improved transit equity results.

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The nexus of transit with affordable housing, in some ways, is fundamental to transit’s very existence. Public transit provides a lower-cost mobility option for those who cannot or do not have a personal automobile to access regional destinations, including jobs, schools, and essential services.

The TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program's TCRP Synthesis 162: Coordination of Public Transit Services and Investments with Affordable Housing Policies looks at the current body of published works focused on the affordable housing and transit nexus. This information is supplemented by a national survey completed by 51 diverse transit agencies and five case examples that explore not only ways transit agencies are coordinating with affordable housing initiatives but also the ways regional planning agencies, local governments, and affordable housing partners are helping to bridge housing and transit to realize the full potential of each.

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