We have a new preprint of a study analyzing the equity implications of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in Curitiba, co-authored with André Turbay and Rodrigo Firmino..

• Turbay, A. L. B., Pereira, R. H. M., & Firmino, R. (2022). The equity implications of TOD in Curitiba. SocArXiv Papers https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/cj87q

Abstract:

In this paper we analyze how socio-spatial inequalities have been shaped by transport and land-use planning in Curitiba (Brazil), a city internationally recognized for its Transit Oriented Development (TOD) planning based on Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). We examine how the spatial organization of the BRT system is associated with the distribution of population densities, socioeconomic groups, and real-estate values and its implications in terms of inequalities of access to employment and health services. The results show that Curitiba’s TOD has had limited influence on population densities, but has shaped the concentration of high-income classes and premium real-estate along its main BRT corridors. These effects contribute to the peripheralization of low-income communities with limited accessibility benefits from the transit system. Our findings suggest that Curitiba’s success story should be seen as a cautionary tale about the consequences of TOD planning, which perpetuate the spatial concentration of resources and reinforce inequalities of access to opportunities.