Movements in the Emerald City: Understanding the Relationship Between Gentrification and Public Transportation in Seattle, Washington

Abstract

Gentrification has often been viewed as a powerful force for urban change that brings benefits and harm depending on the socioeconomic backgrounds of city residents. Advocates say that gentrification encourages social mixing, reduces crime, and offers exciting cultural activities, while critics argue that class segregation and racial division become exacerbated. One area of ambivalence within the gentrification debate is public transportation use. Past research attempts have noted that in cities undergoing gentrification, the general population favors public transit. However, factors like income level predict that those with higher-paying occupations trend towards rapid transportation options like subways for their perceived efficiency, while the poor are more likely to use means like buses for economic reasons. This paper first examined existing research to better qualify the positive and negative claims about gentrification. Housing prices, crime rates, racial segregation, and other effects were examined to better understand how gentrification affected residents in different cities. Next this paper focused on public transportation by examining the ties between commute means and income, employment, and poverty. Finally, this study used Seattle, Washington, as a case study to test if certain gentrification indicators could predict public transportation usage by city residents. By drawing upon data from American Community Surveys at the Census tract level, regression analysis and correlational relationships found that housing values, household income, and educational attainment had weak and negative relationships with public transportation use. However, closer examination revealed discrepancies in how each gentrification variable interacted with the various forms of public transportation, implying that sweeping generalizations should not be used when engaging gentrification.