Rethinking Public Transit Networks Using Climate Change Mitigation and Social Justice Lenses: Great Victoria Area Case Study

Abstract

Public transit has a relatively low GHG-to-passenger ratio and offers affordable options for local travel compared with personal vehicle travel. Investments in an effective public transit network are therefore critical for progress toward climate change mitigation and social justice. Using the Greater Victoria Area (GVA) in British Columbia, Canada, as a case study, this research identified, mapped, and examined three new regional transit network scenarios, which, respectively, align with the objectives in the planning and policy areas of (1) climate change mitigation, (2) social justice, and (3) climate justice. The methods involved a literature review to develop an analytical framework for mapping and examining new transit networks using the climate change mitigation, social justice, and climate justice lenses. The framework was revised through a research practitioner workshop, and it was then applied using network analysis techniques to (re)map the GVA’s transit networks under the three scenarios. The key outcomes of the project included an analytical framework and a process for analyzing and remapping transit networks in ways that align with climate and social justice objectives. The findings indicated the need to add some bus routes and stops, especially in the northern part of the GVA, and two new fast transit networks according to the justice lenses.