Why Getting Around Matters: Transportation and Opportunity in Our Neighborhood

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Getting to work, school, or the doctor sounds simple. But for many families in Southeast Topeka, it is not simple at all. If you do not have a reliable way to get around, it is hard to keep a job, finish school, or stay healthy. New research from the Urban Institute shows this problem is not just a Topeka issue. It is happening in cities across the country, including nearby Kansas City.

What the Research Found

The Urban Institute studied transportation in the Kansas City region in November 2025. They found real gaps in the system. Bus routes do not cover every neighborhood, and buses do not always come often enough. Sidewalks are broken or missing in many areas. These gaps make it harder for people to reach jobs, school, health care, and other services, even when those places are technically nearby.

The researchers also looked at cities like Cincinnati, Columbus, and Louisville. In those cities, better bus service, safer sidewalks, bike lanes, and partnerships with employers all worked together to help more people reach opportunity.

A second report from the Urban Institute looked at what regional leaders can do. It recommends better coordination between transit agencies, city planners, employers, and community organizations, so transportation planning works alongside housing, jobs, and health care instead of standing alone.

Why Transportation Matters So Much

The Urban Institute has a larger framework for understanding upward mobility. Safe, reliable, and affordable transportation is one of 24 key factors in that framework.

Transportation is not just about getting from one place to another. It shapes whether a person can keep a job, stay in school, or reach a doctor’s appointment on time. When bus routes are limited or sidewalks are unsafe, people lose access to opportunity even when that opportunity is close by.

What This Looks Like in Our Neighborhood

Southeast Topeka faces many of the same challenges found in the Kansas City research. Parts of the Hi-Crest neighborhood lack sidewalks, which makes it harder and less safe for kids to walk to school and for neighbors to reach nearby services on foot.

These gaps also affect programs like Campus Connections and workforce placement. Even a great program cannot help a student or job seeker who cannot reliably get there.

How SENT Is Responding

SENT builds transportation support directly into its work with neighbors. This includes:

  • Transportation assistance for families who need help getting to their appointments with SENT.
  • A planned 15-person mobility van with a wheelchair lift, so more neighbors can access rides regardless of ability.
  • Placing services along existing bus routes, so neighbors do not have to travel far to reach help.
  • Strengthening partnerships with Topeka Metro and other transportation providers.

This work fits SENT’s wraparound approach to neighborhood change. Housing, health, food access, and workforce development all depend on neighbors being able to get where they need to go. Reliable transportation is not an extra piece of the puzzle. It is part of what makes every other program work.

Learn More

Read the full Urban Institute research at the links below, or explore our website to learn more about SENT’s programs and how transportation support fits into our work in Southeast Topeka.

Works Cited

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