ODOT conducted this study in response to a request from Oregon State Legislature. It identifies policies and actions that could improve households’ quality of life by increasing housing opportunities with easy connections to transit. This comes at a time of focused attention on housing affordability, transportation access, and climate impacts. The results of this study can help agencies address these concerns.
Transportation and housing are interrelated and comprise the two largest household budget expenses. Choices in these areas are connected and affect a household’s quality of life, physical environment, health outcomes, economic mobility, educational and cultural opportunities, and many other factors. This study provides a foundation and understanding for how housing and transit can be better linked and improve households’ quality of life.
The final products of the study include a
Factsheet,
Toolkit and
Final Summary Report. These products synthesize the results from the six mini-studies within this project. The toolkit is an easy to browse interactive pdf. See the products tab below to explore these and the more detailed information from each of the mini-studies, including case studies and a
Housing Market Primer. ODOT also held a
webinar for the authors of the study to present its results.
While ODOT is a transportation agency and housing is not directly a part of its mission or vision, it seeks a better understanding of transportation and housing connections, and recognizes that better alignment of housing and transportation can help to achieve a variety of state and local goals. ODOT is pursuing this Transit and Housing Study for the following reasons:
- ODOT recognizes the bidirectional relationship between transportation planning and land use decisions, and understands that a well-designed transportation system can bring economic value to a region by improving the connection between communities and their destinations, can enable vibrant neighborhoods where commercial and social activities take place, and can reduce the need for major transportation investments in the future.
- ODOT and its partners also recognize the importance of ensuring transportation, transit, and housing plans work together, which is why partnerships and coordinated planning are important.
- ODOT helps fund transportation, transit, and coordinated land use and transportation plans; this study can inform those plans and funding allocation.
- ODOT's public transportation division and planners throughout the agency can work to help implement or promote results of this study.
- This work will help implement the Oregon Public Transportation Plan, which calls for integration of plans, supporting transit with housing, and other topics to be addressed in this study.
While this study will support implementing state and local plans and goals, including the Oregon Public Transportation Plan and the OTC’s Strategic Action Plan, it will primarily benefit local government housing and planning, tribal governments and transit partners. It will help address the growing challenges related to housing, including affordable housing, and public transportation that many Oregon communities face. This study will provide a foundation and understanding of how housing and public transportation are linked and affect households’ quality of life. The goal is to identify actionable strategies that can address unique circumstances throughout Oregon.