Purpose of disparate impact AND disproportionate burden policy
To determine whether the benefits and burdens of projects,
programs, and services are equitably distributed, the MPO—in keeping with
federal requirements—has proposed a policy to measure the following types of
disparities:
- Disparate impact: a
facially neutral policy or practice that disproportionately affects
members of a group identified by race, color, or national origin, where
the policy or practice lacks a substantial legitimate justification and
where there exists one or more alternatives that would serve the same
legitimate objectives, but with less disproportionate effects on the
basis, of race, color, or national origin.
- Disproportionate burden: a
neutral policy or practice that disproportionately affects low-income
populations more than non-low-income populations. A finding of
disproportionate burden requires an evaluation of alternatives and
mitigation of burdens where practicable.
An MPO’s policy could set thresholds to distinguish an
acceptable level of impact from a level of impact that has a meaningful effect
for the factors analyzed.
Boston region MPo metrics Analyzed For
disparate impacts and disproportionate burdens in charting progress to 2040
Access
to Opportunities
- Average highway travel time to industrial, retail, and
service jobs
- Average transit travel time to industrial, retail, and
service jobs
- Number of industrial, retail, and service jobs within a
20-minute highway trip
- Number of industrial, retail, and service jobs within a
40-minute transit trip
- Average highway travel time to hospitals, weighted by
number of beds
- Average transit travel time to hospitals, weighted by
number of beds
- Number of hospitals, weighted by number of beds, within
a 20-minute highway trip
- Number of hospitals, weighted by number of beds, within
a 40-minute transit trip
- Average highway travel time to two- and four-year
institutions of higher education, weighted by enrollment
- Average transit travel time to two- and four-year
institutions of higher education, weighted by enrollment
- Number of two- and four-year institutions of higher
education, weighted by enrollment, within a 20-minute highway trip
- Number of two- and four-year institutions of higher
education, weighted by enrollment, within a 40-minute transit trip
Mobility
and Congestion
- Vehicle-miles of travel (VMT) per square mile
- Congested VMT
- Transit production time: average door-to-door travel
time for all transit trips produced in transportation analysis zones
(TAZs) within the MPO region
- Transit attraction time: average door-to-door travel
time for all transit trips attracted to TAZs within the MPO region
- Highway production time: average door-to-door travel
time for all highway trips produced in TAZs within the MPO region
- Highway attraction time: average door-to-door travel
time for all highway trips attracted to TAZs within the MPO region
Air
Quality
- Carbon monoxide (CO) emissions per square mile