Evelyn Blumenberg, the chair of urban planning at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, was among 11 people honored at a
White House ceremony today as a transportation “Champion of Change.”
Blumenberg was honored because her current research examines travel behavior of low-income adults; the transportation expenditure burden; and the relationship between transportation and the economic outcome of low-income families, according to the White House.
“My teaching and research examine many dimensions of poverty and low- wage labor markets,” Blumenberg wrote in a blog post before the ceremony. “It is through my published research and my terrific students that I seek to enable others to effectively organize for change”
The Obama administration has been dedicated to providing “ladders of opportunities” for all Americans by spending on projects connecting
communities to centers of employment, education and services.
Recent research has found that poor transportation access is a factor preventing lower-income Americans from gaining higher income levels than their parents. Transportation plays a critical role in connecting Americans and communities to economic opportunity, according to the White House.
“It shouldn’t surprise anyone that after a century of mostly car- focused urban and suburban development in the U.S. not have a car puts people
at a considerable disadvantage, especially in suburban and outlying areas,” Blumenberg wrote.
The Champions of Change program was created by the Obama administration as an opportunity for the White House to feature individuals, businesses and organizations doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities.
