Connecting Jobs to People
When transit connects to regional job centers, people of all incomes benefit from increased access to those employment opportunities. New rail lines that connect major job centers have also been shown to result in higher-than-expected ridership, creating a win for transit agencies. In some cases, the greatest market demand will be at station areas in or near these regional job centers, so understanding their location in the regional transit network.
Understanding how future transit investments will contribute to better connectivity can help shape economic development goals for the region. In particular, the region could consider and examine:
- Identification of the corridor "type" and an explanation of how the corridor would serve greater regional connectivity between jobs and the labor force. (CTOD defines transit corridors as one of three major types: destination connector, commuter, or district circulator. Different corridor types have different affects on job connectivity and the built environment. Learn more from the Corridors 202, available at the bottom of the page.)
- The number of jobs in existing job centers by sector and occupational mix that would be connected and what percentage of total regional jobs these jobs represent.
- The number of potential jobs that could be added to the corridor through future development with a market rationale showing that that the corridor is an appropriate and desirable location for these jobs with or without transit.
- The number of workers who would gain greater access to employment with an analysis of the sector of employment, occupation, and education level compared to regional averages.
- A discussion of how future residential growth along the corridor will accommodate a wide range of incomes.
- How prioritizing walkability investments in regional employment centers can support transit ridership and ensure continued economic growth in the region.
CTOD has done some analysis in the Twin Cities that starts to look at these issues.
- Download a series of graphics that map employment centers in the Twin Cities and how those centers will be linked within the regional transit system.
- While downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul (two of the most significant employment centers in the Twin Cities) are currently walkable places, many of the more suburban job centers would benefit from instituting strategies to make the streets and sidewalks more pedestrian friendly and think about local amenities that would be easily accessible on foot. Learn more about the benefits of making job centers more walkable places here.
- Download a booklet that details different corridor types and uses examples to illustrate how the different types will have a different influence on the market for new development and regional economic growth.