THE NEED FOR A SYSTEMS APPROACH Not only does a Green New Deal for Transportation seek to meet net zero greenhouse gas emissions, but it also aspires to tackle all forms of climate justice. A Green New Deal for Transportation provides a platform for economic, housing, and land justice. In order to accomplish the goals of the Green New Deal, we have to look towards the future with a systems approach. Communities projected to be most affected by the effects of rising temperatures and sea levels and industrial pollution are disproportionately people of color.7 Therefore, a Green New Deal must focus on narrowing infrastructural inequalities, such as those in the transport and housing sectors, in order to begin tackling the problem at a national level. Many cities across the United States, including Seattle, Kansas City, Boston, and more have experimented with the idea of making public transportation fare-free for low-income riders.8 In light of rising fare prices in several cities, yet marginal improvements in service, increasing subsidies to public transit is needed now more than ever. As we consider improvements to our public transit system, we must acknowledge that affordable housing is directly correlated to the accessibility of public transit. To undo the transgenerational effects of
redlining and gentrification in America’s big cities, an overhauling of public transportation must be coupled with significant investment in the nation’s crippled public housing system. Land and property costs near highly-connected transit zones are significantly higher than those in the suburbs or countryside. Arlington, Virginia provides an example as the city’s densest affordable housing complexes are nowhere near the metro corridors.9 Moreover, even those who live in the metro areas don’t necessarily spend less on transportation -- in fact, some report paying more.10 This provides one possible explanation for why transit access is unlikely to persuade people to abandon automobiles as a mode of transport. Therefore, in order to connect public transportation to housing, there need to be connected, dense neighborhoods which are affordable to all levels of the income ladder. By reserving specific land plots near public transit hotspots for affordable housing units, the feasibility of living in some of the nation’s densest and most expensive metropolitan areas becomes more likely. 8
