Research on How to Achieve System-Level, Transit-Oriented Jobs-Housing Balance

Project summary:

This research aimed to create a set of policy solutions that will effectively promote affordable housing development and entry-level living-wage job creation near transit corridors in the Twin Cities metropolitan region. To that end, the researchers conducted focus groups and in-depth interviews with private-sector decision makers including business owners, corporation executives, real-estate developers, and investors. The focus group topics and interview questions were geared toward exploring "leveraging points" for private-sector decision makers to embrace transit-oriented development, and identifying partnership opportunities between the public and private sectors for entry-level job creation and affordable housing development near transitways. Results from the focus groups and interviews were used to design incentive, regulatory, and private-public partnership programs to effectively influence development and business location choices and ultimately promote a transit-oriented balance between jobs and housing in the Twin Cities region.