News Updates

Travel patterns in economically disconnected area clusters

The regional transportation system’s primary role is to connect residents and businesses to opportunities, which plays a crucial role in promoting inclusive economic growth. Longer commute times decrease the productivity of workers and hinder their ability to connect to available and attainable employment opportunities. 

This analysis shows that EDA clusters differ substantially in average commute time and transportation mode usage, generally associated with differences in job types and location, race and ethnicity, and income. Long distances or lack of transit connectivity between employment centers and housing in many EDAs creates more burdensome commutes. This is particularly true for the region’s predominately black EDAs in the south and west neighborhoods of Chicago as well as some parts of the south suburbs, where residents typically have poor transportation mode options.

This policy update is the second in a series examining the region’s economically disconnected areas (EDAs) and their transportation and commute challenges. The first update groups EDAs that are geographically, demographically, and economically similar and discusses trends across them. This update explores commute patterns and travel trends for workers residing in EDAs, identifying the clusters where commute disparities are highest. The third illustrates several case studies to highlight the role transportation and land use play in linking EDA and economically connected area residents to jobs.