Public Transportation vs Personal Vehicles

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Questions and Answers

What are two advantages of public transportation compared to personal vehicle use?

Public transportation is generally more environmentally friendly and can reduce traffic congestion by taking cars off the road.

Identify one major disadvantage of public transportation.

One major disadvantage is that public transportation can be less comfortable than personal vehicles.

What geographical limitation affects the expansion of public transit in the US?

Geography, including terrain and distance, poses significant limitations to increasing public transit use.

How does car-centric culture impact public transportation in the US?

Car-centric culture leads to high car ownership and often results in transit investments being viewed as a form of redistribution. Signup and view all the answers

Name one potential consequence of auto-centric land use patterns.

One consequence is increased traffic congestion due to lower densities leading to fewer transport options. Signup and view all the answers

What is one solution to combat high vehicle fatality rates in urban areas?

Implementing features and policies that promote walkability can help reduce high vehicle fatality rates. Signup and view all the answers

Describe the relationship between population density and congestion.

The density-congestion relationship suggests that lower densities can lead to increased congestion. Signup and view all the answers

What infrastructural challenge does the US face in improving public transit systems?

The US faces exorbitant infrastructure costs, particularly for efficient public transit systems. Signup and view all the answers

What are two main consequences of urban sprawl?

Increased traffic congestion and environmental degradation. Signup and view all the answers

How does vehicle density affect the likelihood of fatal crashes?

Higher density decreases the likelihood of fatal crashes because vehicles are driven at slower speeds. Signup and view all the answers

What is 'congestion pricing' and how does it aim to address traffic issues?

'Congestion pricing' is a tax and regulatory approach designed to reduce traffic by incentivizing less road use during peak times. Signup and view all the answers

What are two potential benefits of implementing roundabouts instead of traditional intersections?

Roundabouts can decrease vehicle speed and increase overall traffic flow. Signup and view all the answers

Define gentrification and one key impact it has on communities.

Gentrification is the process where low-income neighborhoods become higher income areas, leading to rising property values and rents. Signup and view all the answers

How can improved public transportation contribute to reducing vehicle dependency?

Improved public transportation provides an alternative for commuting, decreasing the reliance on personal vehicles. Signup and view all the answers

What role does urban planning play in mitigating the effects of urban sprawl?

Urban planning helps manage development, ensuring efficient land use and infrastructure to prevent traffic congestion. Signup and view all the answers

Explain the difference between succession and displacement in the context of gentrification.

Succession refers to the transformation of a neighborhood due to incoming residents' higher status, while displacement occurs when original residents are forced out due to rising costs. Signup and view all the answers

What were the main push factors leading to migration for African Americans until 1948?

The main push factors included racial steering, economic oppression, violence, and poor living conditions. Signup and view all the answers

What was the role of the FHA in perpetuating redlining practices?

The FHA contributed to redlining by targeting new-construction, higher-income areas for lending while excluding low-income, urban neighborhoods inhabited by African Americans. Signup and view all the answers

Explain the concept of white flight and its two main phases.

White flight refers to the migration of white populations away from areas with increasing African American populations, with the two phases being pre-war intra-city migration and postwar movement to the suburbs. Signup and view all the answers

How did Anant's study relate segregation to racial inequality?

Anant's study showed that increased segregation led to higher poverty rates among African Americans and reduced spending on public goods in racially diverse areas. Signup and view all the answers

How have the mechanisms of segregation evolved over the past century?

Segregation-promoting means have shifted from overt legal measures to more subtle forms like economic zoning and unequal access to resources. Signup and view all the answers

What formal and informal means enforced segregation until the fall of segregation?

Informal means included violence and discrimination by realtors, while formal means involved racial zoning and covenants. Signup and view all the answers

What is the Becker model's main focus in understanding criminal behavior?

The Becker model analyzes the risk/reward tradeoff of committing crimes, considering potential gains versus the likelihood of punishment. Signup and view all the answers

What are crime generators and how do they influence crime rates?

Crime generators are locations, like bars and train stations, that encourage crimes by increasing foot traffic and opportunities for criminal behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What was the significance of the Shelley v. Kramer decision?

The significance of Shelley v. Kramer was that it deemed racial covenants unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment, making it illegal for states to enforce them. Signup and view all the answers

In the context of the Becker model, what differentiates crime attractors from crime generators?

Crime attractors draw individuals with criminal intent, such as drug scenes, while crime generators create environments that foster criminal opportunities. Signup and view all the answers

Describe how highway construction contributed to suburbanization.

Highway construction facilitated easier access to suburban areas, allowing white populations to leave urban neighborhoods that were becoming more racially integrated. Signup and view all the answers

What impact does a visible police presence have on crime rates according to the Becker model?

A visible police presence acts as a crime deterrent, reducing the likelihood of criminal activity by increasing the perceived risk of punishment. Signup and view all the answers

What role did violence play in the enforcement of segregation?

Violence was the most common informal means of enforcing segregation, serving as a deterrent against integration. Signup and view all the answers

How did the Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) impact housing quality for African Americans?

The HOLC contributed to decreased housing quality for African Americans by codifying existing discriminatory practices in mortgage lending and mapping. Signup and view all the answers

How does the concept of 'steering' relate to housing discrimination?

'Steering' involves real estate agents guiding clients towards or away from certain neighborhoods based on race, reinforcing segregation. Signup and view all the answers

What are the costs associated with criminal activity in the Becker model?

The costs include effort and moral costs of committing the crime, along with potential high costs from the risk of arrest. Signup and view all the answers

What are the key limitations of the Becker Model regarding criminal behavior?

The Becker Model assumes all criminals are rational and ignores social and psychological factors influencing crime. Signup and view all the answers

How do social factors such as discrimination and poverty contribute to crime rates?

Social factors like discrimination and poverty can create environments where crime is more likely, affecting the perceived cost-benefit analysis for individuals. Signup and view all the answers

Explain the significance of the 550 rule in understanding crime distribution in cities.

The 550 rule states that 5% of locations account for 50% of crime, indicating concentrated disadvantages in specific neighborhoods. Signup and view all the answers

What trends have been observed in crime rates across US cities since the 1990s?

There has been a decline in both violent and property crimes since the 1990s, with variations among different cities. Signup and view all the answers

Identify two factors considered influential in declining crime rates and briefly explain why.

Changes in policing sophistication and private investment in security are influential as they increase protective measures and deterrence. Signup and view all the answers

Why might mass incarceration be viewed as a somewhat influential factor in crime trends?

Mass incarceration may deter crime temporarily but does not address underlying social issues that contribute to crime rates. Signup and view all the answers

Discuss how the routine activities theory relates to patterns of crime within neighborhoods.

The routine activities theory suggests that crime occurs when a motivated offender, suitable target, and lack of capable guardianship converge. Signup and view all the answers

What elements can potentially generate measurement error in understanding crime rate variations?

Measurement error may arise from inaccuracies in estimating the probability of being caught or in assessing the true prevalence of crime. Signup and view all the answers

How do socioeconomic disparities contribute to crime levels in neighborhoods?

Socioeconomic disparities create environments where disadvantaged neighborhoods may lack resources, education, and opportunities, leading to higher crime rates. Signup and view all the answers

What is the Hot Spots Phenomenon in urban crime?

The Hot Spots Phenomenon refers to specific areas in a city where crime is disproportionately concentrated, often linked to socioeconomic factors. Signup and view all the answers

Explain how routine activity theory relates to crime volume.

Routine activity theory suggests that crime volume increases with the convergence of likely offenders, suitable targets, and the absence of capable guardians in specific locations. Signup and view all the answers

How does community engagement impact crime prevention based on policing quality?

High levels of community engagement with police can enhance policing quality, leading to more effective crime prevention strategies. Signup and view all the answers

What does the Roback model illustrate about wage and price combinations in cities?

The Roback model illustrates that differences in productivity and amenities across cities lead to variations in equilibrium wage and price combinations. Signup and view all the answers

Describe the relationship between neighborhood commercial activities and crime rates.

Neighborhoods with more commercial activities and higher densities typically see more street activity, which helps to decrease crime rates. Signup and view all the answers

In what way do land use patterns correlate with crime rates?

Land use patterns that include crime generators, such as late-night bars, tend to attract both offenders and suitable targets, increasing local crime rates. Signup and view all the answers

What role does the concept of 'eyes on the street' play in reducing crime?

'Eyes on the street' refers to increased community surveillance that occurs in busy areas, which can deter criminal activity due to the presence of more people. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Advantages and Disadvantages of Public Transportation

Advantages: More efficient, safer than car travel, potentially cheaper than car ownership, reduces traffic, less car accidents, and environmentally friendly. Public transit generates less CO2 per person than car transport, easier to electrify, and can easily be electrified while cars generate a significant amount of noise.
Disadvantages: Less comfortable, less flexible, potentially more time-consuming depending on the destination and quality, limited coverage, and maintenance/upkeep reliant on public funding.

Limitations to Increasing Public Transit Use

Limitations Geographic (terrain and distance) factors, the car-centric culture in the US, and urban sprawl hinder efficient public transit. Building efficient public transit infrastructure is very expensive and only 12% of the population resides in areas with >10,000 PPSM.

Auto-Centric Land Use and Traffic Congestion

Patterns: Designing features for easy driving and walkability, maximizing density for various uses, and increasing low-density. Lower densities lead to fewer transportation modes and massive conversions for road and parking capacity. Interstate highways are often complex, with faster speeds and more capacity.
Consequences: Increased traffic congestion, environmental degradation, higher car fatality rates, and externalities of congestion and public health.

Gentrification

Definitions: A process where low-income neighborhoods transform into higher-income neighborhoods due to rising property values and rents. Status can increase by income, education and housing prices/rent, changes in who moves in/out of a neighborhood.
Intuitions: Low-income neighborhoods transition into becoming higher-income status neighborhoods, mostly dependent on changes in who moves in (changes in in-movers).
Examples: College students may afford homes in lower priced locations than those with wealth to acquire a home. A preference for urban amenities tends to draw younger people who want to enjoy restaurants, bars, clubs and other activities closely located to where they live.
Succession: Normal out-migration of residents. High income renters replace low income renters, leading to normal rates of out migration.
Displacement: People are forced to leave due to rising costs.

Factors Influencing Segregation

Great Migration: Large-scale movement of African Americans from the Southern US to northern, mid-western, and western urban areas (1916–1970)
Formal Segregation: Laws (Jim Crow) and practices that separated people by race.
Informal Practices: Restrictive covenants, racial steering, racial zoning, and violence (racism, firebombing, lynchings, and assaults)
White Flight: Movement of white residents from urban areas to suburbs due to increasing numbers of minorities.

Crime Across US Cities

Overall Trends: Decline in violent and property crimes since the 1990s, though variations exist among cities. Factors include changes in policing and technology, private investment in security and public space, and labor market conditions. Other factors, such as gun control or abortion access, seem not to have influenced criminal behaviors.
Influential: Changes in policing levels, technology (e.g., ShotSpotter), and private investment.
Not influential: Labor markets, gun control, abortion rights (Roe v Wade), and immigration.

Causes of Crime Variation

Within neighborhoods: Crime concentrated in disadvantaged neighborhoods due to socioeconomic disparities and hot spots (specific areas with high crime).
Across cities: Crime varies based on demographics (poverty, education, inequality), segregation levels, quality of policing, infrastructure, and land use. Routine activity theory: crime occurs when suitable targets, likely offenders, and lack of capable guardians converge in time and space.

City Size Wage Premiums

Explanation: Large cities tend to pay more but also more expensive, which offsets higher prices by providing benefits in terms of productivity, better job matching, and knowledge spillovers.
Explanations of the wage premium: Higher productivity, better job matching, and knowledge spillovers.

Locational Fundamentals and Increasing Returns

Major Determinants: Geographic features (land, rivers, ports), trade routes, and cultural/religious significance affect city location and growth. Increased return to scale may result from natural resources and infrastructure, with cities growing disproportionately.

Impacts of Shocks on Urban Growth

Land demarcation regimes: Different approaches to land boundaries affect costs and disputes, with different benefits and shortcomings.
Locational fundamentals (LF): Response to shocks is mean reversion, meaning the city will return to its average.
Increasing returns (IR): Shocks can create long-term changes to location and city fundamentals. Response may be multi-equilibrium or permanently affect growth rates.
Random growth (RG): Shocks have unintended and non-predictable results from chance circumstances. Permanent changes can arise independently of the initial size.

Market Access Impact

Examples: Napoleonic War, US Civil War. Examples can be used to show temporary shocks can have permanent effects that affect land value, population, and wages.

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Description

This quiz explores the advantages and disadvantages of public transportation compared to personal vehicles. It highlights issues such as urban sprawl, vehicle density, and the impacts of car-centric culture on transportation systems in the US. Assess your understanding of these critical topics in urban planning and transportation.