America's Mobility Trap

ModeShift

Across America, millions of families are feeling the effects of an affordability crisis. As the cost of living continues to rise, one-quarter of us have no savings, and over half couldn’t afford a $1,000 emergency. 

As we scramble for solutions, one bold idea is staring us in the face: transit. 

In today’s episode, Adie Tomer, a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution who studies land-use and transportation, offers case studies and historical context to show how leaning into transit can put money back in Americans’ pockets and expand opportunities for employment and wage growth. With Adie as our guide, we travel from Florida to London, and from Ohio to an experimental housing project outside of Phoenix, to learn how transit can truly be an engine of prosperity.

Listen to ModeShift on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

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Across America, millions of families are feeling the effects of an affordability crisis. As the cost of living continues to rise, one-quarter of us have no savings, and over half couldn’t afford a $1,000 emergency. 

As we scramble for solutions, one bold idea is staring us in the face: transit. 

In today’s episode, Adie Tomer, a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution who studies land-use and transportation, offers case studies and historical context to show how leaning into transit can put money back in Americans’ pockets and expand opportunities for employment and wage growth. With Adie as our guide, we travel from Florida to London, and from Ohio to an experimental housing project outside of Phoenix, to learn how transit can truly be an engine of prosperity.

Listen to ModeShift on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

2026-05-06 25 min
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