The Washington region ranks among the best in metropolitan areas that connect households without cars to public transit, but it still could be more efficient in connecting suburban residents to jobs more than 2 million households in the greater Washington area, 9.5 percent don't have a car, according to
released Thursday by the Brookings Institution. Of those 194,000 households, 96 percent have access to transit and nearly two of every three live in the city.
But getting somewhere is a different story -- 62 percent of the region's suburban households without cars, including
part of West Virginia, are more than a 90-minute commute from their jobs. That share in the inner core, which includes Arlington and Alexandria, is 38 percent.
It's a disparity that should alert transit planners and suburban developers that they need to work togetherie Tomer author Ad
We need to create denser development patterns," Tomerin Washington than in most places in the countryCounty for example, they can create more dense housing centers that'sgoing to help these households congregate in one place and get better access.The region has several efforts in the works, such as use development planned at New CarrolltonTysons Corner Metro extension that are designed to minimize cars on the roadand locate more housing and jobs at Metro stopsBut residents without cars don't necessarily benefit from those projects
In the Washington area, income rather than location is the divider -- more than two-thirds of households without cars are low-income. Coupled with longer commutessprawl can make upward mobility disproportionately harder for lower-incomepretty solidly on job access but the first thing you can say is, is that good enough?" "The longer you're sitting in a car or bus ... you're not doing something economically productive."
That problem can be exacerbated for even those suburban households with transit access
released Thursday by the Brookings Institution. Of those 194,000 households, 96 percent have access to transit and nearly two of every three live in the city.
But getting somewhere is a different story -- 62 percent of the region's suburban households without cars, including
part of West Virginia, are more than a 90-minute commute from their jobs. That share in the inner core, which includes Arlington and Alexandria, is 38 percent.
It's a disparity that should alert transit planners and suburban developers that they need to work togetherie Tomer author Ad
We need to create denser development patterns," Tomerin Washington than in most places in the countryCounty for example, they can create more dense housing centers that'sgoing to help these households congregate in one place and get better access.The region has several efforts in the works, such as use development planned at New CarrolltonTysons Corner Metro extension that are designed to minimize cars on the roadand locate more housing and jobs at Metro stopsBut residents without cars don't necessarily benefit from those projects
In the Washington area, income rather than location is the divider -- more than two-thirds of households without cars are low-income. Coupled with longer commutessprawl can make upward mobility disproportionately harder for lower-incomepretty solidly on job access but the first thing you can say is, is that good enough?" "The longer you're sitting in a car or bus ... you're not doing something economically productive."
That problem can be exacerbated for even those suburban households with transit access
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