NS736: Leveraging Transportation Investments for Economic Development and Wealth Building
Problem
This project recommends investigating past transportation system projects such as construction of the Interstate Highway system, construction or expansion of public transit facilities, or port facilities, and how transportation infrastructure can be leveraged to enhance a community’s and its residents’ economic empowerment and unlock wealth-building and economic development opportunities. The research project should highlight a minimum of five (5) examples from around the United States that saw economic enhancement and wealth building opportunities derive and develop from certain enhancements to the transportation system. This should consider the loss of generational ownership of housing and businesses, advanced education opportunities and related income enhancements and extension of property ownership benefits. Lastly, the research project should aim to develop a framework, based on previous experience, for addressing past harms to previous commercial and residential districts through transportation system investments. The timeframe for analyzing previous harms and impacts to a particular community can date as far back as the approximate time of the large-scale commencement of the National Highway Defense System (for this study, around 1960).
Objective
This project prioritizes using transportation to empower communities and unlock economic opportunities. By understanding how past projects impacted residents, MnDOT and local agencies can make future investments that are more equitable, promote economic development, and improve public health.
Previous research
- Reconnect Rondo Past Prosperity Study (and others)
Expected outcomes
- New or improved business practices, procedure, or process
Expected benefits
The numbers 1 and 2 indicate whether the source of the benefit measurement is from:
- A specific research task in your project that supports measuring this particular benefit, or
- Implementation of the research findings (anticipating positive results)
- Environmental Aspect: (2)
- Positively addressing environmental impacts (clean air, water, noise reduction), while positively impacting the economic vitality of a community.
- User Benefits: (1)
- The study provides examples of large transportation projects that showed positive economic impacts and “wealth building” opportunities to affected areas. The study will provide information on projected analysis of local businesses and economic conditions of community residents if the transportation investment had not occurred.
- Provide examples of large transportation projects ( > $30 million) that created long-term job creation( employment for at least 15% of the chronically unemployed in the neighborhood immediately adjacent to the proposed transportation investment or through utilization of local businesses that continued on the local project but also on other projects) and overall positive impacts to affected communities. CALTRANS has the Cypress Mandela Training Program as an example of a large project creating employment opportunities for the community members adjacent to the collapsed Cypress Freeway in Oakland, CA. This program has been in place for more than 30 years.
- The study should highlight examples of the impacts to economic activity of a community before, during and post construction of a large transportation project.
Technical advisory panel
- Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development (DEED) Representative
- Metropolitan Council Staff Representative
- Center for Economic Inclusion Representative
- Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) Representative
- MnDOT Metro District Staff Representatives