INTRODUCTION - THE NEED FOR A SYSTEMS APPROACH

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.

According to traditional measures of affordability, the recommended cost of housing is less than 30% of average household income. 11 With this logic, the median household in America can afford to live in over half of the country’s neighborhoods. However, this fails to take into account transportation costs which account for a household’s second-largest expenditure.

In addition to housing, land reform and public transportation are

deeply connected. Public land is required in order to build on and expand America’s existing public transportation network. Historically, public land has also played an important role in the construction of highways and the nation’s interstate system, much of which was identified as blighted land, displacing many African American communities. As we think to the future for a greener and more equitable form of transportation, it may be time for highways with minimal traffic to be demolished entirely or transformed into grounds for public housing or wildlife sanctuaries. Replacing parts of the freeway infrastructure built in the 1950s may seem like a towering feat, however, the idea is not outlandish. In Helsinki, for example, the municipal government currently has plans to tear up some of the city’s highways and have discussed potentially using the land to construct public housing units. 12 As traffic lanes have been added over the years, seeking to remedy an endless congestion problem, many highways are in fact, under capacity. 13

As we look to transition our economy into one in which a Green New Deal is feasible and functional, it is encouraging to realize that

technology is on our side. The technology exists to equip an entire nation with an electric fleet of cars, buses, and other modes of transport. What we need now is the political will. Instead of subsidizing the existing fossil fuel industry complex, green industries should gain priority. Public transportation networks, such as Philadelphia’s Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), have already begun to make meaningful, yet limited, investments in green energy. 14 Last year, SEPTA invested in two solar farms and will effectively become the first major transportation agency in the United States to power up its rail systems with solar energy. Only a national framework for a Green New Deal will accelerate such initiatives and replicate them state by state. A more fractured approach may take place without national leadership, resulting in geographical disparities across the nation, allowing the wealthiest regions to make the most meaningful reforms.

Finally, in order to guarantee a Green New Deal for Transportation is equitable and inclusive to all, we must ensure a just transition away from our

current system. Transit agencies across the country are strapped for resources due to the lack of investment in their services and therefore face operator shortages, affecting their ability to deliver scheduled service. In order to meet an increased demand for transit reflected in more frequent service, agencies will need to hire thousands of new operators. In addition, hundreds of thousands of Americans will need to be transitioned out of employment

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in the automobile industry. This means establishing job training and apprenticeship programs for transit operator, mechanic, and construction positions so that agencies will be better able to handle these added expenses and influx of new workers. It also means allowing Americans to replace less fuel-efficient vehicles with electric vehicles, especially for rural residents. In order to achieve climate justice through a Green New Deal for Transportation, economic, social, and land justice must be taken into account and in order for a Green New Deal for Transportation to be sustainable for generations to come, it must seriously consider class, geography, and ability in order to generate outcomes consistent with a just transition.