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A Driving Factor in Mobility? Transportation's Role in Connecting Subsidized Housing and Employment Outcomes in the Moving to Opportunity (MTO) Program

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  • Evelyn Blumenberg
  • Gregory Pierce

Abstract

Problem, research strategy, and findings: We evaluate the role of transportation in improving the employment outcomes of participants in the Moving to Opportunity (MTO) for Fair Housing Voucher Program, a 10-year demonstration project designed to enable low-income families to improve their outcomes by moving out of high-poverty neighborhoods. We use longitudinal data from the MTO program to assess the role of transportation-automobiles and improved access to public transit-in moving to, and maintaining, employment. We use multi-nomial logistic regression to predict changes in employment status as a function of change in automobile availability and transit accessibility, controlling for other potential determinants of employment. We find that keeping or gaining access to an automobile is positively related to the likelihood of employment. Improved access to public transit is positively associated with maintaining employment, but not with job gains. Although we cannot say for certain whether car ownership preceded or followed employment, it is clear that having a car provides multiple benefits that facilitate getting and keeping a job. Takeaway for practice: Policies to increase automobile access among low-income households-even in dense urban areas-will most clearly enhance job gain and job retention. While auto programs are unpopular with many planners, they would improve the lives of low-income families who currently have the least access to cars. In addition, supporting moves to transit-rich neighborhoods may help households maintain consistent employment.

Suggested Citation

  • Evelyn Blumenberg & Gregory Pierce, 2014. "A Driving Factor in Mobility? Transportation's Role in Connecting Subsidized Housing and Employment Outcomes in the Moving to Opportunity (MTO) Program," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 80(1), pages 52-66, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:rjpaxx:v:80:y:2014:i:1:p:52-66
    DOI: 10.1080/01944363.2014.935267
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Casey Dawkins & Jae Sik Jeon & Rolf Pendall, 2015. "Vehicle Access And Exposure To Neighborhood Poverty: Evidence From The Moving To Opportunity Program," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(5), pages 687-707, November.
    2. Fei Li & Christopher Kajetan Wyczalkowski, 2023. "How buses alleviate unemployment and poverty: Lessons from a natural experiment in Clayton County, GA," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 60(13), pages 2632-2650, October.
    3. Griffin, Greg Phillip, 2018. "Co-producing Mobility: Lessons from Ridesharing for a More Just and Sustainable Autonomous Future," SocArXiv xqmhr, Center for Open Science.
    4. Erick Guerra & Shengxiao Li & Ariadna Reyes, 2022. "How do low-income commuters get to work in US and Mexican cities? A comparative empirical assessment," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 59(1), pages 75-96, January.
    5. Klein, Nicholas J. & Tran, Minh & Riley, Sarah, 2020. "“Desperately Need a Car”: Analyzing Crowdfunding Campaigns for Car Purchases and Repairs on Gofundme.com," SocArXiv 8x7d2, Center for Open Science.
    6. Andrew Schouten, 2022. "Residential relocations and changes in vehicle ownership," Transportation, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 89-113, February.
    7. Jeroen Bastiaanssen & Daniel Johnson & Karen Lucas, 2022. "Does better job accessibility help people gain employment? The role of public transport in Great Britain," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 59(2), pages 301-322, February.
    8. Dionissi Aliprantis & Kristen Tauber & Hal Martin, 2022. "What Determines the Success of Housing Mobility Programs?," Working Papers 2022-043, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    9. Adam Millard-Ball & Jeremy West & Nazanin Rezaei & Garima Desai, 2022. "What do residential lotteries show us about transportation choices?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 59(2), pages 434-452, February.
    10. Lingqian Hu, 2017. "Job accessibility and employment outcomes: which income groups benefit the most?," Transportation, Springer, vol. 44(6), pages 1421-1443, November.
    11. Allen, Jeff & Farber, Steven, 2020. "Suburbanization of transport poverty," SocArXiv hkpfj, Center for Open Science.
    12. Yixue Zhang & Steven Farber & Mischa Young, 2022. "Eliminating barriers to nighttime activity participation: the case of on-demand transit in Belleville, Canada," Transportation, Springer, vol. 49(5), pages 1385-1408, October.
    13. Johnson, Daniel & Ercolani, Marco & Mackie, Peter, 2017. "Econometric analysis of the link between public transport accessibility and employment," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 1-9.
    14. Zhao, Pengjun & Zhang, Yixue, 2019. "The effects of metro fare increase on transport equity: New evidence from Beijing," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 73-83.
    15. Blumenberg, Evelyn & Paul, Julene & Pierce, Gregory, 2021. "Travel in the digital age: Vehicle ownership and technology-facilitated accessibility," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 86-94.
    16. Miwa Matsuo & Hiroyuki Iseki, 2020. "Giving up Job Search Because I Don't Have a Car: Labor Market Participation and Employment Status Among Single Mothers With and Without Cars," Discussion Paper Series DP2020-07, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
    17. Emma B. Sartin & Dominique G. Ruggieri & Adrian Diogo & Lauren O’Malley & Lakhaya London & Allison E. Curry, 2022. "Impacts of Non-Driving Related License Suspensions on Quality of Life: a Qualitative Study," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(4), pages 2211-2227, August.
    18. Michael J. Smart & Nicholas J. Klein, 2020. "Disentangling the role of cars and transit in employment and labor earnings," Transportation, Springer, vol. 47(3), pages 1275-1309, June.
    19. Jacomien van der Merwe & Stephan Krygsman, 2020. "The relationship between transport accessibility and employment duration," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2020-56, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    20. Shengxiao(Alex) Li, 2024. "Vehicle ownership over the life course among older Americans: a longitudinal analysis," Transportation, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 247-270, February.

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