Access to campus is a primary obstacle for low-income, minority students to overcome in attending college. The College of Staten Island has found a simple solution that applies in less urban communities as well.
"The national conversation about helping more low-income students of color…go to college has produced a complex set of potential solutions. But on Staten Island, a simple blue shuttle bus seems to have opened doors that administrators had been struggling to unlock for years," according to an article by Meredith Kolodner.
The proof of the shuttle bus's success is found in the College of Staten Island's enrollment numbers: "Overall enrollment at the college, which is part of the City University of New York, has risen by only 15 percent since the shuttle began operating — but the numbers of black and Latino students have shot up by 49 and 43 percent respectively."
Kolodner is careful not to credit all of those numbers just to the shuttle, but the new access available to students in all of the city boroughs has been a key contributor, according to college leadership.
The model has inspired another colleges, including Queens College in New York and Asnuntuck Community College in Hartford, to launch similar transportation systems.
FULL STORY: How a College of Staten Island shuttle bus increased diversity
Gowanus Racial Impact Study Predicts Increased Diversity After Rezoning
The report outlines the potential impacts on the neighborhood's racial diversity and the availability of below-market housing units.
A Tour of New York City's Most Culturally Diverse Neighborhood
New York is a city of superlatives. A new series of walking tours around the city, led by the New York Times architecture critic, draws out the many examples of the city's exceptionalism.
Design Collective Using Black-Centered Approaches to Transform Cities
BlackSpace seeks to empower Black practitioners and change the way planning and design happens in and affects Black communities.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
Indy Neighborhood Group Builds Temporary Multi-Use Path
Community members, aided in part by funding from the city, repurposed a vehicle lane to create a protected bike and pedestrian path for the summer season.
Congestion Pricing Drops Holland Tunnel Delays by 65 Percent
New York City’s contentious tolling program has yielded improved traffic and roughly $100 million in revenue for the MTA.
In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service