Urban Politics and Public Transportation in a Mid-Sized American City

• In Event: Community and Urban Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 13: Urban Services

Abstract

My study analyzes the transformation of the bus system of a mid-sized American city. In the early 2020s, the city undertook a redesign of its bus network, and introduced a novel mode of public transportation known as bus rapid transit. At its core, without adding to the operating budget, the bus network moved towards an emphasis on frequency along major roads and fewer transfers, making travel towards downtown areas fast and direct. This is at the expense of winding routes through small neighborhood streets that provided doorstep services for many outlying neighborhoods in the city.

Why has the city adopted these changes, and what do these changes say about the politics of the city? I rely on planning documents, public records, interviews and news sources to argue that the changes show that public transportation has shifted from redistributive to developmental policies. I propose, therefore, that public transportation should be thought of as a product of shifting urban politics. I argue that the conflict between growth and protection – born out of the era of urban renewal – has now moved towards a new growth coalition that have overcome past resistance to growth. Public transportation projects in my case also offer some unique observations: First, since bus networks are sprawling structures, democratic exercises involving them often encounter tension between local neighborhoods and city-level design. While the city focuses on the overall design, communities focus on service changes at their doorsteps. My case also involves a city where my case involves an urban form where poverty is more concentrated in outlying regions, while downtown areas have experienced significant revitalization, unlike most large metropolises. This has also encouraged a bus system more focused on downtown areas. Overall, the paper would like to draw attention to smaller cities and the political undertones of urban public transportation.

Author

• Liangdi Xu, Brown University