Exploring the Interaction of Transit Accessibility, Housing Affordability, and Low-Income Household Displacement: A Statistical and Spatial Analysis of Tennessee Counties

Urban sustainability depends on balancing transportation accessibility, housing affordability, and social equity. Displacement—defined in this study as the population-level loss of low-income households from a census block over time—poses a growing challenge to inclusive urban development. This study examines statistical relationships and spatial patterns linking transit accessibility, housing affordability, and low-income household displacement across the four largest counties in Tennessee. Negative binomial regression models are used to quantify relationships between transit accessibility, housing affordability, and displacement, revealing that housing affordability is consistently linked to displacement, while the effects of transit accessibility vary substantially across counties. Bivariate Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) identify localized clusters where displacement coincides with transit or housing constraints, and Multivariate Cluster Typology Analysis classifies census blocks into distinct typologies, highlighting region-specific trade-offs between accessibility and affordability. Together, the results demonstrate that displacement dynamics are highly context dependent, underscoring the need for place-based and sustainability-oriented policy responses. The findings provide an empirical basis for integrating transportation and housing strategies to reduce displacement risks and support equitable and sustainable urban development in diverse metropolitan contexts.