Transit Inequity in Metro Atlanta: Spatial Mismatch Between Supply and Need and Its Structural Roots

This study examines transit inequity in Metro Atlanta by measuring the spatial mismatch between transit supply and disadvantaged populations’ needs across five counties. Using a GTFS-based model, transit supply is measured by 60-minute job accessibility; a composite need index aggregates six metrics from ACS data. Results reveal a core-periphery pattern: MARTA corridors in central Fulton and western DeKalb are oversupplied, while Clayton, southern DeKalb, and southern Fulton are strongly underserved. Two distinct inequity patterns emerge: a county-wide infrastructure vacuum in Clayton from institutional exclusion, and an intra-county racial disparity in DeKalb from residential segregation and skewed investment. Both patterns reflect that institutional inclusion in MARTA has not translated into substantive accessibility for predominantly Black communities.