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167372-1 Report Abstract

A Statistical Analysis of the Relationship Between Land Values and Freestanding Bus Facilities

Carol Lewis, and Gwen Goodwin, Texas Southern University, February 2010, 26 pp. (167372-1)

Public transit professionals continue to seek methods that offer greater service opportunities, while not materially increasing the costs of service provision.  One strategy is to construct bus transit centers which operate much like the airline hub and spoke concept.  More frequent destinations can be made available with shorter patron wait times and minimal to no increase in the number of bus hours.  Patrons tend to appreciate the convenience of a transfer occurring in a lighted facility, in addition to the increased level of bus service.  In many cases, there is an anticipation of higher density residential near these areas.  A number of the bus based centers may be close to single family neighborhoods.  Residents might express concerns about the value of their property given the presence of a bus transit center near their home.  Besides the bus transit centers that serve traditional local or express routes, a number of cities are planning bus rapid transit lines with stations that might lead nearby communities to ask similar questions about property values.  This study assesses the effect of bus transit centers in Houston, Texas, on nearby single family residential property values.

Keywords: Land Values, Transit Centers, Bus Facilities, Property Values

ENTIRE REPORT (Adobe Acrobat File – 215 KB)