2009 Housing Near Rail Stations
Few Long Islanders live within walking distance of rail stations.
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Why is this important?
Housing in close proximity to transit can offer a number of environmental benefits, mainly tied to the reduced dependence of residents on automobiles, which impacts air quality and climate change. Communities near transit – particularly rail stations – are often more compact and walkable, offering greater options in housing, retail and employment. In addition, the train system can offer access to regional employment centers, like Manhattan, and other destinations such as regional retail and entertainment centers.
How are we doing?
Only 11% of Long Island residential buildings are located within a half-mile of a Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) station, a distance frequently used by planners as a distance that people are generally willing to walk to transit. Two-thirds of residential buildings are more than a mile from a rail station, meaning that for many, train stations are more than a short car ride away. Multi-family buildings are more likely to be located near rail stations—27% are within a half-mile, but 47% are located more than a mile from transit. Since multi-family buildings have more housing units than single-family buildings, the number of units near transit is higher than 11%. However, since 82% of Long Islanders live in single family homes, the percentage living near transit is still relatively small.
In Nassau County, 48% of the buildings are within a mile from a rail station; in Suffolk County, it is 22%.
The differing development pattern of these two counties explains these disparities. More of Nassau County was developed earlier and around the rail stations of the LIRR. Much of Suffolk County developed later, when the automobile was the major means of transportation.
Using 2000 Census population data, we can also compare Nassau and Suffolk to counties served by Metro-North. Although this data is not completely comparable to the 2007 data for residential buildings, it shows some interesting findings. These shares are determined by a number of factors—the amount of rail service, the county’s overall density and concentrations near the stations. In other words, counties with higher population densities and larger numbers of rail stations (Nassau and Westchester) also have the highest percentage of population within a half-mile of stations, while those counties with low population density and scarce rail stations (Orange, Putnam, Dutchess and New Haven) have very low percentages.
Westchester and Nassau Counties have by far the highest percentages of population living within a half- mile of a rail station. They also have the highest number of rail stations and the greatest population densities. However, Westchester County – where 22% of its residents lived within a half-mile – has a higher share than Nassau’s 19% even though it has fewer stations and a lower population density. Much of Westchester’s population is clustered in cities around the rail station while much of the northern county remains sparsely populated. Suffolk has almost as many rail stations as Westchester, but is over twice the land area and has only 6% of its population near transit. The Metro-North counties most comparable in terms of people living near transit are Rockland County (6%) and Connecticut’s Fairfield County (8%), even though both of these have fewer train stations and lower densities than Suffolk County.