BOSTON (AP) — After years of living on the street and crashing on friends’ couches, Quantavia Smith was given the keys to a studio apartment in Los Angeles that came with an important perk — easy access to public transit.
The 38-year-old feels like she went from a life where “no one cares” to one where she has a safe place to begin rebuilding her life. And the metro station the apartment complex was literally built upon is a lifeline as she searches for work without a car.
“It is more a sense of relief, a sense of independence,” said Smith, who moved in July. She receives some government assistance and pays 30% of her income for rent — just $19 a month for an efficiency with a full-market value of $2,000.
Metro areas like Los Angeles and Boston are innovating by linking housing to public transit, which energizes neighborhoods and promotes affordability. This approach not only saves residents money but also helps cut greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the number of cars on the road.
Housing development near transit ensures a steady stream of riders for transit systems while addressing high housing costs in cities grappling with traffic congestion. This trend has seen a surge in new projects designed specifically to build near transit hubs, aiding cities in tackling their ongoing housing crises.
Smith’s building in East Hollywood is a key part of a broader initiative to create 10,000 affordable housing units near transit sites in LA by 2031, blending community resources with essential living spaces.
As cities like Boston and Washington, D.C. join this movement, the hope is to decouple urban living from car dependency, leading to healthier, sustainable neighborhoods where the community thrives.
“Transit-oriented development should be one of, if not the biggest solution that we’re looking at for housing development,” said Yonah Freemark, an expert at the Urban Institute. As residents like Smith begin to rebuild their lives, the impact of these developments could shape cities for the generations to come.
