FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 15, 2025
CONTACT: Sam Bowden Akbari, PhD [email protected]
Released at the 7th annual YIMBYtown conference, RPA’s latest research plots housing opportunities ahead of the possible special session
NEW HAVEN, CT — SEPTEMBER 15, 2025 — The Regional Plan Association (RPA), today announced the release of their latest report, “Homes on Track: Connecticut, Analysis of Existing Conditions for Transit-Oriented Communities in Connecticut” during the 3:15pm panel presentation on Monday, the second day of the 7th iteration of “YIMBYtown”--the nation’s largest nonpartisan pro-housing conference. Co-hosted by Karen DuBois Walton, Ph.D., from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and Pete Harrison from RPA and DesegregateCT, this year’s YIMBYtown conference brought together nearly 1,000 advocates, researchers, business leaders and elected officials. Following the disappointing veto of HB5002, RPA stands ready to work with Governor Lamont to pass a new bill that realizes the many opportunities the report details.
“While RPA has promoted regional housing and community development for decades, recently our challenges have become more acute as local zoning restrictions and political obstacles have stymied efforts to provide the affordable housing we need,” said Tom Wright, President and CEO of RPA. “This report powerfully demonstrates how Connecticut can reverse this trend by capitalizing on the opportunity to build more housing and generate economic development near transit to create more prosperity, affordability and diversity.”
The report argues that by integrating residential, commercial, and recreational spaces around public transportation hubs, Transit-Oriented Communities (TOCs) can help create a more sustainable and vibrant Connecticut. As a strategy, it represents a shift away from auto-oriented modes of development in favor of multifamily and compact types of development near public transit networks, promoting more sustainable and livable communities. What’s more, transit-served areas in Connecticut – the same downtowns and regional centers that the Connecticut Municipal Development Authority (CMDA) aims to support – play a disproportionate role in providing access to the state’s housing and labor markets. Despite the growing recognition of the advantages of TOCs – and some successful examples in the state – many communities in Connecticut still face challenges in providing sufficient housing and coordinating it with public transportation.
“9% of Connecticut’s land - that’s what we are highlighting,” said Pete Harrison, Connecticut Director at RPA. “Almost half of CT residents and ⅔ of our state’s jobs are within walking distance of a bus or train station. This report lays out the vast and urgent opportunity for the state to focus its capacity and resources on getting the most out of this area to grow the state’s economy and protect its environment. Many important efforts are underway, but the state must do more to assist local and regional partners that see the potential for transit-oriented communities.”
Other key findings from the report include:
Housing & Jobs:
Connecticut’s Transit Zone (CTZ)—areas within half a mile of a rail station or a quarter mile from a bus stop— represent only 9% of the state’s land, yet concentrate almost half the households (48%) and two-thirds of the jobs (65%) that drive the state’s economy.
While almost half of Connecticut’s statewide housing stock is located near a transit stop, most of it is situated in areas that lack the necessary residential density and ridership to support transit service.
Only 317,000 units, representing 22% of the total statewide housing stock, are located in areas with sufficient density to sustain bus service.
Even in areas close to transit, approximately 291,000 units (42% of the stock within the transit zone) are situated in areas that lack the density to support bus service.
Transit Network
The Capitol region has the largest share of bus stops, with approximately 4,730, which is nearly a third of the total in the state.
South Central CT follows with 3,080 stops, accounting for 21% of the total number of stops.
The Lower CT River Valley ranks third with 1,870 stops or 13% of the total.
Water Management
Nearly 921,000 units, or 62%, of the total housing stock in Connecticut is located in areas with access to sewer service. These existing sewered areas may provide a feasible approach for expanding Transit-Oriented Communities (TOC) within the state.
Most of the housing stock is not affected by high flood risk areas. Over 660,000 units (45% of Connecticut’s housing stock) are located within the transit zone and in low-flood risk areas (beyond FEMA’s High Risk Flood Hazard). Some locations within the CTZ will require additional funding and planning to minimize flood risk, but these represent a minority. Approximately 40,000 units (2.6% of the state total) are in a high-flood risk area and within the transit zone.
Sociodemographic
Virtually all of the state’s households earning less than $50,000 reside within the transit zone, approximately 138,800 households corresponding to 98.8% in the very low income bracket. Approximately 182,700 out of 281,000 households earning between $71,800 and below the state’s median income reside within the transit zone (65% of middle-income households). In contrast, only 45,000 out of 208,700 households earning $150,000 or more live within the transit zone (21.5% of high-income households).
TOCs are also drivers of racial equity as Black, Hispanic, Asian, and American Native populations in Connecticut are more likely to live within the transit zone than not. Compared to the state’s total racial and ethnic composition, residents in the transit zone are disproportionately Black, Hispanic, Asian, and American Native. More than three-quarters of the state’s Hispanic and Black populations reside within the transit zone, 77.6% and 83.3% respectively, totaling approximately 817,000 residents. More than half of the state’s Asian and American Native populations live within the transit zone, 56% and 63.4% respectively, adding to almost 97,000 people.
For the full report, please visit: https://rpa.org/work/reports/homes-on-track-connecticut
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About Regional Plan Association
Regional Plan Association (RPA) is an independent non-profit organization that conducts research, planning and advocacy to expand economic opportunity, environmental resiliency, improved health, and better quality of life in the New York metropolitan area. Since the 1920s, RPA has produced four landmark plans for the region. The most recent was released in November 2017. For more information, please visitwww.rpa.org.
