How long will it take? Commuting time and differential access to an urban community college

Abstract

AbstractIn this chapter, we examine how spatial access, the extent to which individuals must traverse space or time to reach a community college, varies by time of day across socio‐demographic groups. We specifically measure spatial access as the time required to travel to a community college by public transit, a common mode of transportation for many urban residents. Our findings revealed substantive variation in travel times between socio‐demographic groups suggesting varying levels of spatial access. They also highlight how public transit infrastructure, residential patterns, and community college locations interact to influence how long students must travel to access postsecondary opportunities.