Detroit Regional Transit Study: A Study of Factors that Enable and Inhibit Effective Regional Transit.

摘要

An interdisciplinary team of six faculty members and six students at the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) conducted a comprehensive study of the factors enabling or inhibiting development of effective regional transit. Focusing on Metro Detroit and four peer regionsAtlanta, Cleveland, Denver, and St. Louisinvestigators examined six key variables in transit success: 1) leadership and politics, 2) governance and law, 3) finance, 4) transit-oriented development (TOD), 5) equity and access, and 6) media and public opinion. These elements were studied in the context of Detroit transit history with respect to lessons learned, recent developments in Metro Detroit, and comparisons and recommendations. The team employed a nontraditional research methodology driven not by numbers but by the narrative of firsthand experience. They conducted in-depth interviews with more than 60 leaders in transit advocacy, development, and operation from five regions across the country, seeking the type of insight acquired almost exclusively through personal experience. The interviewees included: Current or previous CEOs of four regional transit authorities (RTAs) and more than 25 key staff members of RTAs Six RTA board members, including three board presidents Five MPO leaders of transit development in their regions A wide variety of stakeholders/advocates, including leading figures in business, education, labor, campaign consulting, and media Government leaders, including legislators, mayors and mayors staff The team then undertook the task of curating, organizing and assembling this accumulation of wisdom into cogent analyses that form the foundation of this report. This document provides and overview and summaries of key findings in all six areas of focus. Six separate reports explore each area in greater depth.