Planning transit for young users of resource centers in ordinary conditions and chronic disruptions

Community resource centers (such as community centers, libraries, and places of worship) are frequently utilized as local and familiar hubs where community members can share resources both for everyday purposes and during disruptions. Young adults are in a life stage that can present unique needs and barriers related to transportation and resource access. This study advances our current understanding of what demographic factors and travel behaviors are associated with young adults' visits to community resource centers during long-term disruption events in contrast to ordinary circumstances. Data for this investigation was collected using an online retrospective survey distributed in February 2021. Specifically, we examine data collected during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic from 313 young adults of ages 18 through 34 years in the United States. Two binary logistic regression models are estimated to identify the determinants of traveling to community resource centers: (1) during the year preceding the pandemic, and (2) during the first year of the pandemic. Preliminary findings from this study suggest that, prior to the pandemic, young adults who were more likely to visit community resource centers were at-least-weekly transit riders and younger within the young adult bracket. Comparatively, during the pandemic, young adults who were more likely to visit community resource centers were at-least-weekly transit riders, males, essential workers, and previous users of these centers. Notably, being a frequent transit rider is a significant determinant of visiting community resource centers under both ordinary and chronic disruption conditions. As such, this study reinforces the importance of providing equitable public transit access and maintaining transit service during long-term disruption events to facilitate resource access for young adults. Findings from this study can be used to guide transit planning to better serve the primary users of community resource centers under a multitude of conditions to support the flexibility of use that these centers provide. Research of this kind is critical to meeting standards enforced by Executive Order 13985 to advance equity for all including those who have been historically underserved. Future research should identify where gaps in transit access exist so that a greater proportion of the population who could benefit from community resource centers can access them.