Identifying transit deserts in major Texas cities where the supplies missed the demands

Abstract

Coined by the author, the concept “transit desert” is developed from the now common concept of a “food desert,” which is an area where there is limited or no access to fresh food (Clark et al. 2002; Jiao et al. 2012; Whelan et al. 2002; Wrigley 1993; Wrigley et al. 2002). The food desert concept has received a lot of attention and influenced planning policies and practices. By applying the same idea to transit systems within urban areas, geographic areas can be identified where there is a lack of transit service. This involves identifying the transit dependent populations as a measure of transit demand, calculating the transit supply, and then subtracting the supply from the demand to measure the gap (Jiao & Dillivan 2013). In detail, transit dependent populations are those who might require transit service to get around more than other people. The transit supply is measured by aggregating a number of criteria that contribute to better transit access and measured within a designated geographic area. Transit deserts are defined as areas where the transit demand is significantly greater than the supply.

Not minding the gap: Does ride-hailing serve transit deserts?

“…For example, people of color, older, student, and lower-income populations receive lower shares of bus service relative to their shares of the population (Wells and Thill, 2012, Jiao and Dillivan, 2013, Al Mamun and Lownes, 2011b, Currie, 2010. Researchers find evidence of transit deserts across multiple American cities (Jiao, 2017, Toms and Song, 2016, Jiao and Dillivan, 2013. Some find that transit deserts are often concentrated in central neighborhoods in low-income neighborhoods (Jiao andDillivan, 2013, Toms andSong, 2016), while others find that the locations of transit deserts vary by city (Jiao, 2017).…”

“…Researchers find evidence of transit deserts across multiple American cities (Jiao, 2017, Toms and Song, 2016, Jiao and Dillivan, 2013. Some find that transit deserts are often concentrated in central neighborhoods in low-income neighborhoods (Jiao andDillivan, 2013, Toms andSong, 2016), while others find that the locations of transit deserts vary by city (Jiao, 2017). Importantly, how researchers define both transit need and transit supply, as discussed above, influences where transit service gaps are found.…”

Job Accessibility from a Multiple Commuting Circles Perspective Using Baidu Location Data: A Case Study of Wuhan, China

“…Z-score calculation is a statistics method which can reveal where an individual distributes among all objects in a statistical sense by calculating its significance level. It has been extensively used in urban planning and geographical studies, such as spatial correlation analysis [55], hot spot analysis [56], and supply-demand gaps in transit service [57,58]. It is an effective statistical method for distinguishing the difference between high and low values of a variable because there is no specific measurement standard for what belongs to high or low values.…”

Not Minding the Gap: Does Ride-Hailing Serve Transit Deserts?

“…For example, people of color, older, student, and lower-income populations receive lower shares of bus service relative to their shares of the population (Wells and Thill, 2012, Jiao and Dillivan, 2013, Currie, 2010. Researchers find evidence of transit deserts across multiple American cities (Jiao, 2017, Toms and Song, 2016, Jiao and Dillivan, 2013. Some find that transit deserts are often concentrated in central neighborhoods in low-income neighborhoods (Jiao andDillivan, 2013, Toms andSong, 2016), while others find that the locations of transit deserts vary by city (Jiao, 2017).…”