Education Resources and Transit Opportunities in the Children's Corridor

As Metro Denver expands its FasTracks light rail system, the Mile High Transit Opportunity Collaborative (MHTOC) is working to create equitable housing and economic development. A common question MHTOC hears is, "How does transportation relate to my issue?" This map demonstrates how transportation options are essential ingredients for education equity.

The Piton Foundation is focused on improving children’s health and education in the Children’s Corridor, a 41-square mile stretch of northeast Denver and northwest Aurora. The Eagle P3 East Corridor light rail expansion runs through the Children's Corridor. To better understand how transit interfaces with education quality, we mapped the light rail alignment, planned station locations and bus lines on top of child demographic disparities and school locations displayed by performance. We found that many of the planned transit-oriented development locations along the East line are not within one mile of planned stations. The stations don’t offer access to the area’s higher performing schools.

Because light rail alone does not address inequitable access to quality education, this map led us to a more promising solution in the Children's Corridor: coordinating bus and light rail service.

Data sources: Colorado Department of Education, Regional Transportation District, U.S. Census Bureau, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Qualistar, Denver Public Schools, Aurora Public Schools.