Red Line Regional Commuter Rail-North Carolina

Davidson Design for Life, in collaboration with Davidson College students in a Public Health Policy, Practice and Ethics course, conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of a proposed regional commuter rail project connecting Mooresville to Charlotte, North Carolina using existing Norfolk Southern rail. The project would offer increased freight business, as well as the opportunity for mixed use development around the 10 proposed transit stations. The HIA focused on several potential health impacts, including incidence of chronic disease as physical activity increases due to walking or biking to the transit stations; respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses due to air pollutants; injury from accidents as transit ridership increases; financial security as transportation costs decrease; and job access for low income individuals.