Chicago Public Transportation Accessibility Analysis

This paper investigates public transportation accessibility in Chicago, focusing on identifying disparities of public transport acess and their correlation with demographic factors such as race and poverty. Utilizing General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data from the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and demographic data from the American Community Survey (ACS), the study employs GIS tools to create geospatial layers for analysis. The research calculates a public transportation surplus index to measure the balance between demand and supply and uses regression models to explore the relationships between transit accessibility and demographic variables. The results are presented through an interactive ArcGIS story map to enhance public engagement and understanding.