Guest Commentary by Iris Patten, iep collaborative
In my “youth” (which wasn’t so long ago) I lived in Maryland, worked in DC and on weekends enjoyed the amenities that the Northeast corridor provided. At the time, I had a car but instead of paying the $300 per month to park in my company’s underground parking garage I would typically take the train in to work, except on those days that I worked in the field as an urban planner. On weekends I would even hop on the train to visit friends in Philadelphia or New York. During weekday peak hours I would see train passengers dressed nicely in their work attire but during off peak hours and weekends I could count on my fingers and toes the number of passengers who used the train or bus as a way to travel between home and the grocery store or other activities vital to household functions. Interestingly, of these passengers the majority were non-white and from outward appearances, weren’t the most affluent.
Originally from Florida, my tenure in the Northeast truly opened my eyes to the alternatives available for regional mobility. I thought the ideas of commuter trains, light rail, and frequent buses were a great idea, maybe even the best thing since sliced bread. When I returned to Florida three years ago I kept scratching my head wondering why the perfectly tanned laid-back Floridians hadn’t caught on to this mass transit idea. Then I started talking to folks who currently lived in Florida but were Northeast transplants. One gentleman who I spoke with, who after moving from New York City used the bus to get from his home in South Tampa to his office in downtown Tampa, was questioned one day by a colleague who saw him getting off of the city bus. The colleague asked him “when did you get your DUI?” The gentleman, obviously puzzled by this question, asked his colleague what he was talking about. The colleague responded “the only reason the affluent ride the bus in Tampa is when their license is suspended (usually because of a DUI) and car service or cabs are unavailable.” From that moment on, the gentleman purchased a permit for the garage under the bank in which he worked and drove his Range Rover in to work for the next 3 years (until he moved back to New York).
Since the cost of fuel has risen to prices beyond anyone’s imagination politicians at all levels of government have begun serious conversations about mass transit options. This topic has even graced the lips of high ranking politicos here in Florida. In cities where mass transit has been readily available for quite some time, those passengers who would typically only use the train or bus to travel to and from work are now realizing that mass transit is a great way to travel to little Suzie’s gymnastic class on the weekends or little Bobby’s soccer game, especially since the athletic field or YMCA is only a few blocks away from the transit station or stop. At work, water cooler conversations now consist of how much money is on your metro card or the new route from home to work you have learned that reduces the number of bus transfers. To some of you reading this you may think that this conversation isn’t new, which it isn’t. What is new is the generation and status of individuals who have discovered how this crazy idea of mass transit is a great way to travel to destinations beyond their place of employment. Suddenly, bus passes and metro cards are fashionable! Mass transit is now the new BLACK.
During Black History Month (by the way, I am Black) we learn about Rosa Parks and her role in the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott. Not to take away from this significant historical event or the freedoms it has afforded so many Americans with, but there is added significance that very few people (except Urban and Regional Planning teachers like me) think of. In 1955, seventy-five percent of the Montgomery bus system riders were black. During the Montgomery Bus Boycott 40,000 black commuters had to find a way to work, find a way to get to the grocery store, they even had to find a way to get to church. Blacks in 1955 relied upon mass transit options, like the bus system, for daily survival. Basic decisions of the minorities and the poor were contingent upon the proximity to mass transit. Throughout history there are countless examples of the importance of mass transit to the poor and minorities and how it has affected decisions about housing and employment, but now that mass transit is the new BLACK, transit oriented development (i.e. stylish high density housing and employment options around transit stations) threaten the future of established minority middle- and lower-class neighborhoods.
(Next) Part 2: The future of urban areas: How the new black is affecting the Black
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Iris Patten is the founder of iep collaborative, a consortium of urban planning, development, architecture, and landscape architecture professionals and firms who tackle some of the world’s most difficult development problems. iep collaborative works in communities around the world. for more information about how the collaborative can help your community contact us at info@iepcollaborative.com.
