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Transit-Oriented Development
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) grew popular in the 1980s and 1990s as a response to suburban sprawl and a means of regenerating economic growth in central cities. The best way to spot a transit-oriented development in a city or suburb is to look for a group of tall buildings clustered close to a bus or train station. The development is likely to include housing and/or offices as well as retail stores. A TOD also usually has relatively easy access for people on foot and bikes, while cars and other vehicles are discouraged from parking too close to the station. As a result, TODs are often friendlier to pedestrians and bicyclists than other forms of land development, and they encourage people to ride trains and buses rather than drive. The concept was slow to take off in the United States, but has gained strength in the first decade of the 21st century as fuel costs rise and traffic causes many Americans to rethink where they want to live and work.
The "pedshed"
A clever planner coined the term "pedshed" to define the distance the average pedestrian is willing to walk to reach a bus or train from their office, shop or home. The pedshed is the most common way cities measure the size of a proposed TOD. Peter Calthorpe, a major figure in the New Urbanism movement who helped popularize TODs, originally suggested that people would walk no more than a quarter-mile. More recent reports on the subject have expanded it to a half-mile. Eugene, Oregon measures the distance bicyclists are willing to ride to a station at one to two miles. (2) A TOD is also often measured by the density of housing units per acre; there can be anywhere from 15 to 45 units, depending on the location. A TOD can be located around transit stops that serve areas of a range of densities, such as in a neighborhood center, which would have the least density; the center of a small town; a big-city downtown; or a regional center, with the last of these likely to have the highest density per acre. Neighborhood centers might have a bus or subway stop, while a regional center would be likely to have these as well as commuter rail service. Another key to defining a TOD is that street blocks must be no longer than 500 feet. If they are longer, people are less willing to walk to get to a destination at the end of the block. New Urbanist-style neighborhoods with a street grid of short, square blocks and lots of interconnecting streets work well at incorporating TODs into their design.
Notable TODs
Fruitvale Villagein Oakland, Calif., which took shape in 2004 after a 13-year planning process, is considered one of the most interesting recent examples of a TOD. It includes 23 retail stores, 47 apartments and several community and professional services on 3.7 acres adjacent to a Bay Area Rapid Transit station. A local non-profit agency, Unity Council, took the lead in developing the TOD. The Fruitvale neighborhood is alargely low-income, Latino area a few miles south of downtown. The Unity Council saw the TOD as a way to stimulate economic development, encourage a mix of low- and higher-income residents, and as a tool in its overall program of community revitalization. The agency has organized a farmers' market and several live performances in the plaza next to the station. (1)
Another notable TOD, or set of TODs, is along the Ballston-Roslyn corridor in Arlington County, Va., just outside Washington, D.C. Here the county government has been the lead player, encouraging the recent development of car and bike-sharing programs to complement the existing set of five Metro stations. The TODs date back to the construction of the Metro system in the 1970s. Si
nce then office development has mushroomed along the corridor in large part because of the easy access to the Metro. The county changed the zoning in the area to permit higher floor-to-area ratios for commercial development, as well as more apartments and hotels. Developers also received incentives in the form of density bonuses if they provided street-level retail and connections to transit stations.
Challenges
Fruitvale Village has experienced challenges, such as identifying the right mix of retail stores to attract people throughout the day and evening. Many commuters do not walk past the stores, because they can use a pedestrian bridge to walk directly to a parking garage. Bay Area Rapid Transit seems to have learned from this experiencethat it need not provide so much parking at future TODs. (1) After all, Fruitvale Village is supposed to serve the immediate community as much as commuters traveling from further away. Other TODs have had problems maintaining their affordability. This is ironic, given that many smart growth enthusiasts see TODs as a means of keeping housing costs down by cutting how much residents must spend on transportation. Because many people now see TODs as desirable locations, their housing costs often rise faster than in areas further from stations. TOD developers have found they need to tap into city or state-run subsidized or inclusionary housing initiatives to guarantee income diversity. Reconnecting America, a TOD advocacy group, argues the gains for affordability in TODs outweigh the losses. It reports that the areas within TODs are more diverse economically and racially than their surrounding regions. (3)
In its guidebook to TODs, the city of Austin, Texas outlines some of the attractions of this type of development: "Living in a TOD is going to be very attractive for people who are tired of fighting traffic and are willing to give up a second car, people from a variety of age groups who are looking for opportunities to move up or down in housing size, and seniors who want an independent lifestyle and to reduce their dependence on the automobile." (4)
ALSO ON THE LIVABLE STREETS NETWORK
- "Transit-Oriented Development in Jersey City." (Streetsblog, 11/17/06)
- "T is for Transit-Oriented Development." (Streetsblog, 11/10/06)
- "Transit-Oriented Development Forum." (Streetsblog, 11/3/06)
- "T.O.D. in Brooklyn: Turning Parking Lots into Housing." (Streetsblog, 10/31/06)
REFERENCES
Each source is referred to by the same number every time it is cited. Please keep citation style consistent.[1] "Retail seen as the 'Achilles Heel' of Some TODs," New Urban News, December 2006
[2] "Smart Communities: Zoning for Transit-Oriented Development," Campaign for Sensible Growth, November 2002
[3] "Preserving Affordability." Reconnecting America.
[4] Transit-Oriented Development Guidebook, City of Austin, 2006.
PICTURE REFERENCES
Pictures are cited in the order they appear above.
[1] Dallas Streetcar by RACTOD
[2] Roslyn Ballston Corridor from the air by RACTOD
