Recommended Reading

Long Island Index 2009 Report
Long Island Index 2008 Report

By the Long Island Index
Garden City, New York

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(6.7 MB)

The 2009 Report of the Long Island Index confirms that weak housing production and a lack of rental units discourages young adults from settling in the region, as they continue to seek locations with vibrant downtowns, more affordable housing, and better job opportunities than offered by Long Island’s communities. An annual project since 2002 that gathers and publishes data to support better policy decisions in New York’s Nassau and Suffolk counties, this year’s report extends the 2008 Long Island Index Special Analysis: Long Island’s Downtowns—An Underutilized Regional Asset. That report concluded that the region’s more than 100 downtowns are an important and underutilized asset that can help solve the region’s housing affordability problem. The 2009 follow-up specifically identifies transit-oriented development in downtown areas near Long Island’s 102 commuter rail stations as a possible solution for providing affordable housing (especially rental), defining a community’s sense of character, and bringing back attractive employment opportunities. The 2009 Report also includes a special analysis of the region's educational assets.

The settlement patterns in Long Island’s two counties are remarkably different when measured by housing units and population within one-half mile of their Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) train stations. While only 11 percent of Long Island’s residential buildings are within a half-mile of LIRR stations, most of these are located in Nassau County; this is related to its historical development around train stations. Suffolk County, which was developed in a much more dispersed pattern during the automobile era, has many fewer LIRR stations. While 19 percent of Nassau County’s population live within a half-mile of a rail station, this is true for only 6 percent of Suffolk’s population. 

In 2007, the LIRR saw one of its largest ridership gains in recent years; a 6 percent growth over 2006. The 2008 Report, supported by updated data in the present issue, found that increased densities in downtown areas will become critical to meet housing demand, especially in light of predictions that Long Island will be “built out” within the next decade. In addition to providing a more affordable housing option, development in the region’s downtowns can increase the viability of transit, making these locations more interesting and lively thus attracting more new households.  

See the Transit-Friendly Development Newsletter, a publication produced jointly by the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center and NJ TRANSIT, for additional recommended reading from the current issue or for a reading list of TOD materials reviewed in past issues.

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