Connecting Jobs and People: Exploring the Wider Benefits of Urban Transportation Investments

The report begins with a broad discussion of productivity and some of the related potential benefits of investments in transportation infrastructure. This is followed by an estimate of the impact that the construction phase of Metrolinx’s regional transportation plan in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) would have on employment and economic output. Empirical evidence, regarding employer location decisions and how they are affected by transportation access for their employees, follows. Recent evidence of the “wider benefits” of transportation investments is provided in the subsequent chapters. This is put into the context of the evolution of employment locations in the GTHA. Throughout the report, insights from specific case studies of large employer office relocations in the GTHA are provided. The case studies show how these employers balance the accessibility benefits for current and potential employees with the accommodation costs associated with their location choices.