INSTITUTIONS AS CATALYSTS FOR RAIL TRANSIT

In recent years, rail transit (heavy or light) has emerged as a viable, alternative transportation option in the United States. Urban areas are investing in transit-oriented development that marries public transit investments with larger urban infrastructural developments around light rail train stations. The core idea behind transit-oriented development has always been to allow walkability within the community and to let transit aid travel outside the community (connecting multiple communities and services). However, now that the idea of public transit is commonplace, it is important to investigate innovative ways of bringing public transit to life in urban areas that could benefit from it. Rail transit implementation is especially challenging in the United States because of the automobile-centric nature of the cities. However, there are some cities that have managed to be a part of the rail revival that began in the 1990s.

This research will study some of those cities and explore the possibility of a new approach usinginstitutions as the main stakeholders for rail transit development. Institutions are primary generators of transit ridership as well as economic drivers. They help feed passengers into transit, but there is not much research that places them at the center as catalysts for the development of new rail transit systems. This research will establish evaluative criteria that can be used by institutions that want to make the initial decision of selecting rail transit over other modes of public transit. These criteria will then be tested on the rail line (unused) that passes through the heart of the University of Georgia campus.