In metropolitan Chicago, Black and Hispanic residents experience persistent disparities including in employment, health, educational attainment, and income. These negative outcomes are worst for Black residents, who also endure longer commutes than residents of other races or ethnicities. These residents are more often transit dependent, yet many must commute to jobs located far from frequent transit service. At the same time, these same residents tend to have limited employment opportunities within their own communities. Challenges are compounded for residents with disabilities, who have an unemployment rate that is twice that of those without disabilities. A significant number of people with disabilities cite lack of transportation as a barrier to employment.{{Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, “Transit Trends: Exploring Transit Use and Investment,” November 2017}} Heather and Garland Armstrong have used every mode of transit to get around the Chicago region, often in ways that take more time or are more difficult because of their disabilities. Read Heather and Garland’s Story Analysis shows that high levels of economic inequality are limiting our region’s ability to grow. Long-term regional economic prosperity requires that we address these issues and take action to increase opportunity and improve quality of life for all residents. Transportation can play a key role in creating pathways to opportunity for low-income communities, people of color, and people with disabilities. Working with stakeholders, CMAP has identified economically disconnected areas (EDAs) to focus planning efforts and policy recommendations. Many residents of EDAs have limited options for transportation that would efficiently connect them to economic and other opportunities. This is particularly true for residents living in EDAs in the City of Chicago, where access to transit options does not always ensure access to jobs within a reasonable travel time. CMAP research shows that just 9 percent of residents in South and West side Chicago EDAs are employed nearby, compared to the economically connected areas of the city where 72 percent of residents live near their jobs.{{Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, “Travel Patterns in Economically Disconnected Area Clusters.”}} Amorita Falcon’s commute can take more than two hours one way. She says everyone in the region should have access a transportation system that more easily connects them to jobs and opportunity. Read Amorita’s Story Local strategy map See where local employment, transit availability, and economically disconnected areas overlap within the Chicago region. Explore the map Meaningful progress toward achieving increased access to opportunity can only happen with intentional coordination among public and private actors to leverage technology, improve outreach and engagement, and direct transportation investments where they can have needed impacts. Chart Mode share by worker earnings, CMAP region, 2010-14 Key Source Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning analysis of American Community Survey estimates 2010-14. Strategies Increase authentic, responsive engagement of underrepresented communities in planning and development The state of the practice for outreach and engagement in transportation planning and programming processes has advanced significantly beyond 30-day public comment periods, one-time public hearings held in government offices, and public notices posted only in newspapers and on public bulletin boards. Technology has enabled new pathways for residents to connect with the people responsible for the transportation system, but many people continue to experience barriers to productively engaging with the public planning processes. The demographics of those engaged in planning processes may not necessarily reflect the demographics of the affected community; often low-income residents have work schedules that make participation in traditional planning processes difficult. People with disabilities may face transportation or other barriers to participation in planning processes. Also, low-income communities, people of color, and immigrants have valid and historic reasons to limit their exposure to government. And while the digital divide has narrowed in recent years, some populations continue to have inadequate Internet access. Therefore, it is increasingly important that CMAP and other transportation agencies redouble their public engagement. Practices to emphasize include exploring and deploying new culturally relevant outreach methods to assess the transportation-related needs, values, and attitudes among low-income communities, people of color, immigrants, and people with disabilities; allowing for more localized ownership of the planning process; and establishing performance measures that track progress toward reflecting community demographics. Action 1 Convene partners to collaboratively develop and disseminate improved practices in the region. Implementers CMAP Action 2 Invest in the development of culturally-relevant outreach methods, establish performance measures that track progress towards reflecting community demographics, and demonstrate the impact of public engagement on project outcomes. Implementers Transportation agencies and local governments Action 3 Evaluate the Bureau of Design and Environment manual and identify opportunities to further support inclusive public engagement. Implementers Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Build capacity for disinvested communities to develop, fund, and maintain transportation infrastructure Some parts of the region were left behind by growth over many decades, often having lost substantial population, jobs, businesses, and resources. Promoting growth in these areas will require collaborative and comprehensive investment at all levels of government and civic organizations; disinvested( A persistent, long-term lack of market investment, measured by a long term loss of jobs, low levels…Read more) areas significantly overlap the EDAs defined within ON TO 2050, while also including adjacent commercial and industrial areas that have experienced a loss of economic activity over sustained periods of time. The local governments that serve disinvested areas tend to have lower staff and technical resources, due to lower tax bases and fewer financial resources available. This impairs their ability to maintain existing infrastructure and to access regional and federal transportation resources for reconstruction and improvement projects. Accessing these public resources requires not only matching local funds, but also significant and costly predevelopment investments such as feasibility studies and engineering, which may make projects infeasible for some low-capacity municipalities. These communities also tend to have higher concentrations of low-income households and people of color, further increasing disparities in transportation infrastructure. Action 1 Develop creative approaches to removing the financial barriers that prevent disinvested areas from accessing some transportation funding programs. Implementers Transportation funders Action 2 Develop materials and trainings to help municipalities understand how their land use and transportation investment choices affect local revenues, user costs, and long-term maintenance expenses. Implementers CMAP and partners Action 3 Assist with transportation data collection and asset management pilot projects, eventually expanding to a region-wide program, to overcome a lack of data and technical capacity to implement asset management. Implementers CMAP and partners Action 4 Research best practices and leverage growing resources on age and condition of the region’s infrastructure to develop methods for municipalities to assess mid- and long-term impacts of major or cumulative development processes. Implementers Partners and CMAP Improve commute options between disinvested areas and employment, education and training, and service opportunities While investing in frequent service on high ridership corridors, transportation agencies must also find ways to improve mobility for low-income residents and communities in areas with limited transit service or travel needs that are not well served by traditional transit options. Shared mobility, including private ride-hailing services, and automated vehicle technologies have the potential to provide more frequent and direct service in low-income neighborhoods, improving connections to jobs that may currently require long transit trips or connecting multiple modes. To ensure that these options are equitable, they must be affordable for residents and there must be public accountability for changes to fares and levels of service. In some cases, the most effective mode of travel may be a personal automobile, and transportation implementers should consider ways to ensure equitable access to tolled facilities. For example, the Tollway developed I-PASS Assist to help income-eligible drivers to easily and affordably obtain an I-PASS. I-PASS Assist works like a standard I-PASS account, but allows eligible drivers to purchase at a discount of $20. CMAP can play a role in identifying gaps in the transportation system for economically disconnected communities, and work with public transit agencies and private sector partners to identify solutions. Action 1 Continue to work with local communities and the private sector to develop pilot projects that explore new methods of providing targeted, flexible and/or on-demand services that connect EDAs to suburban job centers and other destinations. Implementers Transit agencies Action 2 Take a leadership role to identify gaps in the transportation system for economically disconnected communities, articulating the individual, local, and regional growth benefits of better transportation connections and targeted infrastructure investments. Implementers CMAP Action 3 Implement policies that ensure equitable access to tolled facilities, such as expanding reduced toll policies or implementing “lifeline credits” that make a certain amount of toll credits available each month for lower income drivers. Implementers IDOT and the Tollway Improve access to public rights of way for pedestrians, cyclists, and people with disabilities People who rely on walking, bicycling, or wheelchairs need accessible pathways. Especially in suburban areas, low-income residents are more likely to rely on low-cost modes than higher income residents to reach employment, services, and other destinations. When bicycling facilities and sidewalks are in need of repair, are missing, or are not designed for people with disabilities, they limit employment and other options for engagement in the community. Facilities must safely connect suburban and low-income communities to jobs, amenities, and the region’s growing bicycle network. Making sure that public rights of way provide safe pathways for people using active transportation and people with disabilities is an important strategy for inclusive economic growth. While the U.S. Access Board continues to finalize federal Accessibility Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way (PROWAG) as proposed in 2011, U.S. Department of Transportation recognizes PROWAG as current best practice that some states have already begun incorporating into their own design manuals and other regulatory documents. Action 1 Develop expertise in self-evaluations and transition plans for public right of way accessibility, and provide technical assistance to local communities. Implementers CMAP and IDOT Action 2 Ensure that sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, and bicycling facilities are as available and maintained as adequately in low-income areas as in more affluent areas. Implementers IDOT and local transportation agencies Action 3 Work in consultation with people with disabilities and the public agencies and NGOs representing their interests to ensure appropriate, inclusive accommodations are provided in all projects. Implementers Transportation agencies Action 4 Measure benefits to low-income communities, people of color, and people with disabilities, as part of project evaluation for bike and pedestrian investments. Implementers CMAP and other funding agencies Action 5 Continue to make progress toward universal accessibility of stations and work with local governments and the state to ensure accessible pathways to transit. Implementers Transit providers Assess the health impacts of substantial transportation and development projects Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) are powerful tools for making informed decisions that improve public health through community design that can positively affect health equity. While Environmental Impact Statements have become standard procedure for making sound development decisions and protect environmental interests, HIAs are still underutilized in project selection and development. Effective use of HIAs highlights how specific developments affect health in certain populations, helping to address health inequities by prioritizing key transportation and infrastructure projects in low-income and disinvested communities. CMAP and partners should develop materials and trainings for local governments looking to conduct HIAs that use health equity concepts and goals in the planning and development processes of major transportation and infrastructure projects. Strategies Local strategy mapStrategiesIncrease authentic, responsive engagement of underrepresented communities in planning and developmentBuild capacity for disinvested communities to develop, fund, and maintain transportation infrastructureImprove commute options between disinvested areas and employment, education and training, and service opportunitiesImprove access to public rights of way for pedestrians, cyclists, and people with disabilitiesAssess the health impacts of substantial transportation and development projects ON TO 2050 plan Download the executive summaryOpen Download the executive summary in a new tab Download the full reportOpen Download the full report in a new tab CMAP Update Newsletter sign-up Opens in a modal