Transportation Equity

Equitable transit-oriented development (ETOD) ensures people experience the benefits of dense, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented development near train and bus stops.

Explore the concept and how it works in Chicago with our ETOD Calculator.

Learn how CNT is working with CBO partners to build power in Black and Brown communities to advocate for more equitable transportation decisions through the Transportation Equity Network coalition.

Environmental Justice

An early lesson from our TOD work was the need to foster opportunities in Black and Brown communities to ensure equitable benefits and avoid gentrification and displacement. Focusing on communities with majority people of color is one way we've inserted equity into the work. Supporting developers from the community is another. Elevated Works is our technical assistance program for groups developing commercial and residential projects near transit stops and stations across Chicago.

Sustainable Economic Development

Our research shows Equitable Transit-Oriented Development can increase access to jobs via transit, reduce transit costs, and provide mobility options across income levels. As this becomes standard practice, questions arise such as:

• How much parking does an Equitable Transit-Oriented Development project need?
• How do we create Equitable Transit-Oriented Development without causing gentrification or displacement?
• How can Equitable Transit-Oriented Development meet climate change goals?
• As households in Equitable Transit-Oriented Developments spend less on transportation, how does it support local economies?

To address these questions, we develop tools such as Park Right DC calculator which help planners gauge and document the effects of Equitable Transit-Oriented Development at the block and neighborhood levels.

Policy

Center for Neighborhood Technology is proud to serve as a member organization of Elevated Chicago, a partnership committed to transforming the half-mile radius around transit stations into hubs of opportunity and connection across our region’s vast transit system. Nationally, we’re part of the Strong, Prosperous, and Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC), along with Enterprise Community Partners, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, the Low Income Investment Fund, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.