The powerful, reciprocal connection between school and housing segregation has long been recognized. The housing¬school link was a key element in both the 1968 Kerner Commission Report1 and in the legislative history of the Fair Housing Act.2 The relation of school and housing segregation was also explored in a series of school desegregation cases beginning in the 1970s.3 Yet in spite of HUD’s duty to “affirmatively further fair housing,”4 and the parallel “compelling government in¬terest” in the reduction of school segregation,5 there have been few examples of effective coordination between housing and school policy in the intervening years. 

The study looked closely at four topics: statewide bicycle and pedestrian plans, accommodating bicycles in state highway projects, providing sidewalks for pedestrians in state highway projects located in urban areas, and implementing a statewide Safe Routes to School program. The NCBW reviewed federal legislation, regulations, polices, and guidance, as well as the policies and recommended practices of national organizations including the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). Using these sources, a set of benchmarks was identified and used to assess the current performance of each state DOT. A chart shows all 50 states and their positions on these benchmarks.

Much bicycle planning and advocacy focuses on encouraging travelers to switch to cycling from other transport modes, namely automobiles. At the same time, research suggests that an alternate, even overlooked cyclist cohort exists in Los Angeles County: those without access to autos or quality transit service who ride bicycles out of necessity. Principal among these “necessity” cyclists are low-income Latinos. We investigate this so-called “invisible cyclist” hypothesis through a spatial examination of low-income Latino cyclists in Los Angeles County. We find a connection between low-income Latinos and travel by all Census-designated “other” modes, including motorcycles and taxis in addition to bicycles. This research suggests a need for participatory planning and outreach not just for bicycles, but for a host of alternate commute travel modes in areas with large low-income and Latino populations. 

This publication summarizes the major programs of ten initiatives, including sources and amounts of funding as well as positive individual and neighborhood impacts. Some of these initiatives began with a comprehensive approach in the 1990s, while others began as single purpose initiatives and gradually became comprehensive over many years. This study highlights proven elements of each initiative's program. It was not intended to be, nor was it conducted as, an evaluation. The 10 initiatives are Bethel New Life in Chicago, IL Chinatown Community Development Center in San Francisco, CA Chicanos Por La Causa in Phoenix, AZ Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative in Roxbury, MA Greater Williamsburg Collaborative in Brooklyn, NY Marshall Heights Community Development Organization in Washington, D.C. Mid-Bronx Senior Citizens Council in Bronx, NY Neighborhood and Family Initiative Collaborative in Milwaukee, WI Community Building In Partnership in Baltimore, MD and Vollintine-Evergreen Community Association in Memphis, TN.

For the last six years, DCP, a faith-based organization serving Greater Roseland, has conducted its most far-reaching community organizing effort: the CTA Red Line Extension Campaign. This campaign addresses a 38-year history of neglect by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to extend CTA's Red Line to Chicago's far south side city limits, the most job inaccessible area of Chicago.

In this executive summary, PolicyLink addresses the key issues that comprise the quest for equitable transportation policies in three broad categories: shaping communities, powering the economy, and influencing health. We also summarize recommendations for the next federal transportation authorization organized around the broader equity questions: Who benefits? Who pays? Who decides?

“Where We Need to Go: A Civil Rights Roadmap for Transportation Equity,” is the first in a series of reports by The Leadership Conference Education Fund examining the key roles transportation and mobility play in the struggle for civil rights and equal opportunity.