Access to Core Services

Transportation access to core services is about options — where residents can go, and how they can get there.

The Transportation Access to Core Services in Southeast Michigan report evaluates how well people across the SEMCOG region can reach key destinations by walking, biking (accounting for comfort levels), using fixed-route transit, and driving.

Building on SEMCOG’s 2016 Access to Core Services analysis, this updated study uses enhanced methods, current data, expanded demographic groups, and new destination types.

Destinations analyzed include:

Jobs, fixed-route transit stops, educational and workforce training facilities, healthcare facilities, recreational spaces, grocery stores, childcare centers, libraries, fire stations, passenger train stations, and Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW).

Accessibility was evaluated for various demographic groups, including all households and key population segments such as:

• Transit-dependent households
• Households with seniors
• Households with children
• Minority-headed households
• Low-income households
• Working-age populations
• Households with limited English proficiency
• Population with disabilities
• Female-headed households
• The Transportation Access Focus Population—an overlay of eight key demographic groups

Accessibility provides a powerful lens for understanding how transportation and land use connect people to opportunity. By examining accessibility as both a transportation and land use outcome, the report offers insights that can guide long-range planning, project prioritization, and policy development across Southeast Michigan.

The goal: a transportation system that strengthens economic vitality, community well-being, and overall quality of life throughout the region.

The Transportation Access to Core Services Interactive Online tool provides a user-friendly platform for exploring accessibility analysis.

Transportation Access to Core Services Report (coming December 2025)