Urban Access Deserts: An Analysis of Public Transportation as a Barrier to Community College Access

• In Event: Who's the Culprit? Power, Mobility, and (In)Stability on College Access

Abstract

Community colleges serve as regional sites for higher education and occupational training. While their open admissions policies lower educational barriers to access, their physical locations within urban spaces may create significant spatial barriers to college access and success for some students, especially those who must rely on public transportation. In this paper, we present spatial analyses of community college accessibility across multiple U.S. cities by measuring commute time via public transportation. We find significant amounts of variation within cities related to community college access as well as variation across cities that is deeply related to transportation infrastructure. Our novel approach to examining college access highlights the importance of urban infrastructures to college access for students.

Authors

• Zyrashae N. Smith, Johns Hopkins University

• Juan Cortes, Johns Hopkins University

• Nathaniel Dewey

• Marc L. Stein, Johns Hopkins University