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California Voting and Suburbanization Patterns: Implications for Transit Policy, MTI Report 12-05
Mineta Transportation Institute Publications
  • Matthew J. Holian, San Jose State University
  • Matthew E. Kahn
Description

Public transit is an environmentally friendly transportation mode that usually focuses on transporting people within and to the city center. However, over the last 60 years, population and employment has been suburbanizing. As the median voter lives further from the city center, and thus enjoys fewer benefits from accessing public transit, does this reduce such a voter’s propensity to support public investment in public transit improvements? We analyze voting patterns on 20 transit-related ballot propositions from state-wide elections in California between 1990 and 2010. Controlling for demographic, socio-economic and political ideological factors, we focus on the role of suburbanization as a possible causal factor in determining public support for public transit investment. The results provide a rich picture of the attitudes towards transportation policy among California voters, and will help policy makers to better understand citizen preferences and to better predict how future trends will shift support towards or against transit. Finally, we suggest ways policy makers can use urban land markets to increase support for transi

Publication Date
7-1-2013
Publication Type
Report
MTI Project
1105
Keywords
  • Public transit,
  • Infrastructure,
  • Political factors,
  • States,
  • Land use
Disciplines
Citation Information
Matthew J. Holian and Matthew E. Kahn. "California Voting and Suburbanization Patterns: Implications for Transit Policy, MTI Report 12-05" (2013)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/matthew_holian/22/