Mapping newcomers’ commute in Calgary
Abstract
The objective of this study is to identify locations of newcomers and jobs in Calgary and analyze transit-based job accessibility from the locations of newcomers to their prospective jobs. The cumulative opportunity measure is used to compute job accessibility, which counts the number of job opportunities that can be reached from each Dissemination Area in Calgary within a given travel time. In addition, this study examines transit-based job accessibility based on various commute times and jobs in different employment sectors. This study leads to the broad conclusion that newcomers in Calgary need more efficient transit services to deliver them to their potential job opportunities. Given that transit-based job accessibility varies considerably depending on the time of day and industry, time- and industry-specific approaches in transit planning will be helpful in efforts to improve newcomers’ transit- based job accessibility and, in turn, their chances for stable employment and settlement.
Notes
Key recommendations
- Improve bus lines and MAX lines in order to increase accessibility of transit to industrial areas, for newcomer workers
- Increase operation of transit during non-peak hours, to increase accessibility for shift workers
Gaps identified
- Challenges with transiting home from work
- Different impacts of commute on working women and/or working mothers
- Impacts of youth employment and transit accessibility
- Only Calgary Metropolitan Area was analyzed, looking outside of this geographical area could provide more insight as well.
Key findings
- Newcomers have a higher concentration in the NE quadrant of Calgary
- Newcomer jobs are higher in industrial areas of NE and SE quadrants, however, these areas are frequently difficult to access
- Lack of accessibility within transit makes it difficult to access jobs
- For many jobs in the industrial sector, rates of transit time are very often more than 45 minutes
- Transiting results in a much longer commute in comparison to individuals commuting by car
Community organizations
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
- City of Calgary
- Calgary Local Immigration Partnership
- Calgary Transit
Integration timeline
At what point during the integration process the study was conducted?
Key populations
Newcomers to Calgary
Location
- Calgary
- Alberta
Open-access-Yes
