Cincinnati and Transit Oriented Development

Cincinnati has excellent opportunity for growth and infill development from downtown to uptown. The streetcar route can be considered transit-oriented development or market based development. It is a new trend in urban communities to create vibrant, livable communities that are walkable and compact centered around transit.

The American Planning Association describes transit-oriented development (TOD) as assuring social and economic benefit to an area surrounding transit paths. Along the paths, a frequent and reliable transit service is offered to lessen the amount of traffic and lend the area to be more accessible by foot. This type of development has the best interest for walkers and cyclist with welcoming pathways, shared roadways, and timed traffic signals for their convenience.

Other defined qualities of TOD include a quarter mile radius from a transit stop, street block perimeter of no more than 1,350 feet to create a dense network, and a memorable code of place such as defining squares, plazas and streetscape. Maximum parking requirements would be 10 to 500 spaces for every 1,000 workers and the speed limit is around 30 mph. These characteristics are intended to increase activity within an area while providing for new business and livelihood.