Auto Accessibility Changes

Auto access change for Minneapolis blocks — Figure 2.2: Block-level changes in job accessibility by auto, under decomposition scenarios.

When changing auto travel times alone, virtually all locations in Minneapolis see a decline in job access, with local values typically ranging from a loss of −5,000 jobs to a loss of −40,000 jobs (Figure 2.2, “Travel Time Change”), and the average access experienced by Minneapolis workers decreases by −1.0%. This is due to increased travel resulting in congestion, which feeds back to reduce access. When changing job locations alone, all Minneapolis locations see consistent access gains of between 45,000 and 53,000 jobs (Figure 2.2, “Land Use Change”), and average access increases by 3.2%.

These focused analyses provide a more complete interpretation of the overall change in access by auto: between 2022 and 2023, access losses due to increasing congestion were more than offset by overall growth in regional jobs, with most Minneapolis locations gaining access to between 10,000 and 50,000 jobs, and average access increasing by +2.1%. It simultaneously became more congested, and easier to reach more destinations on average.