Sprawl and Transportation Outcomes in Chicago: A Sprawl Index for Municipal Subsections

摘要

The city of Chicago is defined by its geographic and socioeconomic division along the ChicagoRiver. Median incomes, home prices, foreclosure rates, and education levels differ significantly betweenthe north and south sides of the city. While there has been extensive research on the sociological andeconomic character of the city, there has been limited research on the unique transportation costsexperienced by south side residents and specific communities in the south side of the city. A sprawlindex provides a means for relating the built environment and transportation costs for Chicago residents.A sprawl index for neighborhoods may help to identify the neighborhood effects of transportation policyoutcomes such as vehicle miles traveled and demand for public transit.This study uses the methodology for generating a sprawl index for Metropolitan Statistical Areas(MSAs) developed by Reid Ewing and begins the process of applying it to municipal subsectionscovering geographies smaller than the MSA.