Transit Investment and Health Outcomes: A Retrospective Investigation of Atlanta's MARTA System

Abstract

This paper seeks to acknowledge that frst and foremost, human health is greatly afected by the environments we live in. Health disparities we observe today are often the product of past discriminatory policies by local governments. Through a case study looking at public transportation investments in the Atlanta Metropolitan Region, I investigate the disparities in public transportation infrastructure investment and diferential mortality rates from diseases most likely to be infuenced by such disparities. Specifcally, I investigate the level of investment of subway lines versus bus lines of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). The link between health and the built environment, as evidenced in this case study, points toward a future opportunity for planning departments to work with public health departments to create living spaces that promote health more efectively.