Smart, Michael. 2018. Disentangling the role of cars and transit in employment and labor earnings. Transportation. 1-35. In this article, Professor Smart and Nicholas Klein (Bloustein PhD, 2014) find that having a car helps Americans find jobs, keep those jobs over time, and move up the economic ladder. Very good transit service can provide the same […]
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A Longitudinal Analysis of Cars, Transit, and Employment Outcomes

How does access to cars or transit influence one’s economic outcomes? Michael J. Smart, Ph.D., and Nicholas J. Klein, Ph.D., 43 pages. September 2015 How does access to particular types of transportation influence individuals’ economic outcomes? And do typical “snapshot” approaches to research overlook variations in car ownership over time? Ongoing economic development strategies, and […]
The Social Context of Travel

Smart, Michael, and Klein, Nicholas J. 2015. “The Social Context of Travel.” ACCESS 46, Spring. Abstract The authors examine how the social context of a neighborhood can influence activity and travel patterns. Specifically, the authors explore the travel patterns of those living in “neighborhoods of affinity,” where members of a group with strong social ties […]
VTC’s Mike Smart writes about why America can’t have high speed trains

Imagine being able to travel from New York to Los Angeles without having to step on a plane, yet be able to do so in a fraction of the time it would take to drive. On the surface, that tantalizing prospect took a step closer with the news last month that a Japanese maglev train […]
A nationwide look at the immigrant neighborhood effect on travel mode choice
Smart, Michael. 2015. “A nationwide look at the immigrant neighborhood effect on travel mode choice.” Transportation. 42(1): 189-209. Abstract Immigrants to the United States walk, bicycle, and use transit and carpools more than U.S.-born residents do. These differences persist over time and across income groups. The differences appear strongest when immigrants reside in immigrant neighborhoods […]
A volatile relationship: The effect of changing gasoline prices on public support for mass transit
Smart, Michael J. 2014. “A volatile relationship: The effect of changing gasoline prices on public support for mass transit.” Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice. 61: 178-185. Abstract The determinants of public opinion toward public transit is a little-researched topic, though a better understanding of what makes consumers willing to support transit may reveal […]
Brother can you Spare a Ride? Carpooling in Immigrant Neighbourhoods
Blumenberg, Evelyn, and Smart, Michael. 2014. “Brother can you Spare a Ride? Carpooling in Immigrant Neighbourhoods.” Urban Studies. 51(9): 1871-1890. Abstract Immigrants are more likely to travel by carpool than the US-born. Strong ethnic ties within immigrant communities may contribute to immigrants’ propensity to carpool, enabling residents to find carpool partners more easily and increasing […]
Neighborhoods of affinity: social forces and travel in gay and lesbian neighborhoods
Smart, Michael, and Klein, Nicholas J. 2013. “Neighborhoods of affinity: social forces and travel in gay and lesbian neighborhoods.” Journal of the American Planning Association. 79(22): 110-124. Abstract Problem, research strategy, and findings: Planners have traditionally focused on how the physical characteristics of neighborhoods influence people’s activity and travel-patterns, overlooking an equally important factor: the […]