At the Heart of the Streetcar is Transit-Oriented Development

What exactly is Transit-Oriented Development?

A transit-oriented development (TOD) neighborhood is a mixed-use residential or commercial area designed to maximize access to public transport, and often incorporates features to encourage transit ridership. A TOD neighborhood typically has a center with a train station, metro station, tram stop, or bus stop, surrounded by relatively high-density development with progressively lower-density development spreading outwards from the center.

TODs generally are located within a radius of one-quarter to one-half mile (400 to 800 m) from a transit stop, as this is considered to be an appropriate scale for pedestrians. Many of the new towns created after World War II in Japan, Sweden, and France have many of the characteristics of TOD communities. In a sense, nearly all communities built on reclaimed land in the Netherlands or as exurban developments in Denmark have had the local equivalent of TOD principles integrated in their planning.

Transit-oriented development is sometimes distinguished by some planning officials from “transit-proximate development” because it contains specific features that are designed to encourage public transport use and differentiate the development from urban sprawl. Examples of these features include:

• Mixed-use development that will use transit at all times of day
• Excellent pedestrian facilities such as high quality pedestrian crossings
• Narrow streets
• Tapering of buildings as they become more distant from the public transport node.

Another key feature of transit-oriented development that differentiates it from “transit-proximate development” is reduced amounts of parking for personal vehicles. Many cities in the USA and Canada are developing TOD policy. Denver, San Francisco, and Vancouver have developed, and continue to write policies and strategic plans which aim to reduce automobile dependency and increase the use of public transit.

Examples of Transit-Oriented Development

Curitiba, Brazil

One of the earliest, and most successful examples of TOD is Curitiba, Brazil. Curitiba was organized into transport corridors very early in its history. Over the years, it has integrated its zoning and transportation to place high density development next to high capacity transportation. Since the failure of its first, rather grandiose, city plan due to lack of funding, Curitiba has focused on working with economical forms of infrastructure, so it has arranged unique adaptations, such as bus routes (inexpensive infrastructure) with routing systems, limited access and speeds similar to subway systems. The source of innovation in Curitiba has been a unique form of participatory city planning that emphasizes public education, discussion and agreement.

Vancouver, Canada

Greater Vancouver has had a strong history of creating new development around its Skytrain lines and have also created the concept of regional town centres around the major stations and transit corridors. Of note is the Metrotown area of the suburb of Burnaby, BC near the Metrotown Skytrain Station. The areas around stations have spurred the development of billions of dollars of high density real estate, with multiple highrises near the many stations.

Toronto, Canada

Toronto has a longstanding policy of encouraging new construction along the route of its primary Yonge Street subway line. Most notable are the development of the Yonge and Eglinton area in the 1960s and 1970s; and the present development of the 2 km of the Yonge Street corridor north of Sheppard Avenue, which began in the late 1980s. In the period since 1997 alone the latter stretch has seen the appearance of a major new shopping centre and the building and occupation of over twenty thousand new units of condominium housing. Since the opening of the Sheppard subway line in 2002, there is a condominium construction boom along the route on Sheppard Avenue East between Yonge Street and Don Mills Road.

Calgary, Canada

Calgary is home to a very successful TOD community called The Bridges, located in the community of Bridgeland. The Bridges is home to a diverse range of condos, shops, services, and parks. The City continues to create TOD policy for other Calgary communities. Calgary City Council has allocated funding for the creation of six Station Area Plans around the city, to guide increasing development pressure around some of the light rail transit stations. On June 9, 2008, Calgary City Council approved the first station area plan in Calgary’s history.

Hong Kong, China

The Hong Kong metro MTR generates a profit by redeveloping land around its stations. In the mid-20th century, no railway was built until an area was well developed. However, in recent decades, Hong Kong has started to have some TOD developments, where a railway is built simultaneously with residential development above or nearby.

Guatemala City, Guatemala

In an attempt to control rapid growth of Guatemala City, the municipal government (Municipalidad de Guatemala) headed by long time Mayor Álvaro Arzú, has implemented a plan to control its growth based on transects along its important arterial roads and exhibitting Transit-oriented development (TOD) characteristics. This plan denominated POT (Plan de Ordenamiento Territorial) aims to allow taller building structures of mixed uses to be built next to large arterial roads and gradually decline in height and density as you move away from such. This is simultaneously being implemented along with a Bus Rapid Transit {BRT} system called Transmetro.

San Francisco Bay Area, USA

The San Francisco Bay Area includes nine counties and 101 cities, including San Jose, San Francisco, and Oakland. Local and regional governments encourage transit-oriented development to decrease traffic congestion, protect natural areas, promote public health and increase housing options. The region has designated Priority Development Areas and Priority Conservation Areas. Current population forecasts for the region predict that it will grow by 2 million people by 2035 due to both the natural birth rate and job creation, and estimate that 50% of this growth can be accommodated in Priority Development Areas through transit-oriented development.

Arlington, VA, USA

Arlington has won awards for its smart growth development strategies. For over 30 years, the government has had a policy of concentrating much of its new development near transit facilities, such as Metrorail stations and the high-volume bus lines of Columbia Pike. Within the transit areas, the government has a policy of encouraging mixed-use and pedestrian- and transit-oriented development. Outside of those areas, the government usually limits density increases, but makes exceptions for larger projects that are near major highways, such as in Shirlington, near I-395 (the Shirley Highway). Much of Arlington’s development in the last generation has been concentrated around 7 of the County’s 11 Metrorail stations.

Orlando, FL, USA

In 1997, using a federal grant, Orlando converted the free downtown circulator bus into the LYMMO Bus Rapid Transit system. The City of Orlando has cited LYMMO as part of a development strategy that led to five new downtown office buildings (each 1 million square feet) and six new apartment communities, and it wants to expand LYMMO to connect to hospitals, new entertainment venues that are under construction and nearby residential communities.

Portland, OR, USA

The Portland Streetcar has spurred extensive development and is a central part of the city’s transportation network serving 13,000 riders daily and helping to cut traffic and pollution levels around the city. The program’s success gave birth to a new industry, as a local manufacturer, Oregon Iron Works, began building the first U.S.-made streetcars in modern history. In addition to creating new manufacturing jobs, the project has helped stimulate $3.5 billion in new development with the construction of five-million square feet of new buildings, including 10,000 housing units.

Carrolton, TX, USA

In April, the Carrollton City Council approved a $38 million mixed-use development next to a commuter rail station being erected downtown. The station is Carrollton’s main gateway to the 28-mile Green Line, a $1.8 billion expansion of Dallas Area Rapid Transit. After the line’s scheduled completion in late 2010, it will link Carrollton with downtown and southern Dallas. City officials hope the railway and new development – which will include four buildings with a total of 295 apartments, a parking garage, a public park and retail space – will breathe life into a city center that empties after dark. These so-called transit-oriented developments, along with downtown revitalization plans, tap into a move toward more pedestrian-friendly, urban-style living.