Could Better Transit Boost Atlanta’s Income Mobility?
A recent study says climbing the economic ladder is especially tough in metro Atlanta compared to other major U.S. cities. The report was issued by the Equality of Opportunity Project, a partnership between economists at Harvard and the University of California, Berkeley.
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The study cites correlations between poor mobility rates and factors such as residential segregation, school quality, and access to transit. But some experts disagree on the possible causes.
In a recent New York Times editorial about the study, economist Paul Krugman said Atlanta’s sprawl doesn’t help because things are just too far apart. Georgia State economics professor David Sjoquist says more importantly, Atlanta has a concentration of low-income workers who lack access to jobs.
“The further away you are from good jobs, the lower the wages, the lower the employment level of low-skilled workers,” Sjoquist says, “To offset that distance, you need transportation.”
Krugman says even an effective transit system wouldn’t help. But according to Sjoquist, a different kind of system could make a difference.
“The Atlanta region is not very dense,” he says. “So the kind of rail system, heavy rail system, that we have in MARTA is difficult to do in a very de-centralized community.”
Sjoquist says a system that includes light rail, bus rapid transit, and other bus networks could provide better options for low income residents.
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