Chapter 8 - Transit Oriented Developments

Introduction

A Transit Oriented Development (TOD) or “transit village” is a mixed-use community consisting of residential, retail, office, open space, and public use that is within an average of 2000 plus feet of “comfortable walking distance” (10 minutes) to a transit stop and core commercial area. TODs can be developed throughout a metropolitan region on undeveloped sites, sites with potential for redevelopment or reuse, and in new urban growth areas. A successful TOD must be located on or near an existing transit or bus stop and it must be automobile accessible. By placing local retail, parks, day-care, civic services, and transit in a common place, TODs give the opportunity to walk, cycle, or use transit for many activities.¹

TODs main focus is to create a compact growth around a transit stop in hopes to capitalize on transit investments by bringing potential riders closer to transit facilities and increasing ridership. For a development to be transit oriented, jobs, moderate and high density housing, commercial services, and complementary public uses must be adjacent to transit stops. Development needs to be adapted in terms of parking, density, and/or building orientation.

A successful TOD reinforces both the community and the transit system as a whole. As far as success in implementing a TOD in a given area, the combination of the following elements is needed:

• Optimal transit system design.
• Community partnerships.
• Understanding local real estate markets.
• Good planning for TOD.
• Coordination among local, regional, and state organizations.
• Provide the right mix of planning and financial incentives.²

The Need for TODs

The suburbs of past and present have been designed around a stereotypical household that is no longer dominant. Due to the change of household patterns, there is a need to build more high-density development areas or TODs. Statistics reveal that there is no need to increase and continue the tradition to build in low density, single-family patterns because households are shrinking in size and changing dramatically. According to recent studies:

• The percentage of singles and single-parent families is increasing, from 29% twenty years ago to 44% today, and people over 65 make up 23% of total new households.
• Married couples with children now represent only 26% of the households, down from 40% a generation ago.
• Working mothers are becoming the norm, with double-income households now representing 54% of all families.

As a result to such demographics, traffic congestion due to suburb-to-suburb traffic is increasing and producing greater commute distances. The suburb-to-suburb traffic has increased to 40% of all trips and has seriously eroded the quality of life in formerly quiet suburban towns. Traffic congestion caused by single-family auto use can also affect the productivity of workers, the delivery of raw materials and products, and a region’s ability to maintain a healthy job base. Even if job centers have instituted employer based travel demand management programs, such as parking pricing and carpool programs or added pedestrian improvements, such measures will not be sufficient to effect long term change in travel behavior.

TOD is the strategy available to help manage the increase in population in states such as California. TOD provides communities with an alternative to the consequences of low-density suburban sprawl, automobile dependent land use patterns, and areas that lack affordable housing. By implementing TOD, states can make significant progress towards improving the quality of life.³

Urban TOD

Urban TODs are located directly on an existing light rail, heavy rail, or express bus transit network. Urban TODs are usually developed in high commercial intensities, job clusters, and moderate to high residential areas because they would allow direct access to the transit system.²

Neighborhood TOD

Neighborhood TODs are located on a local bus line within 10 minutes transit travel time (3 miles) from a trunk line transit stop. Neighborhood TODs are developed on medium density residential, service, retail, entertainment, civic, and recreational uses. If properly designed, neighborhood TODs can:

• Meet local needs for public facilities and parks.
• Improve the character and quality of existing neighborhoods.
• Reduce inner community traffic through residential areas.

Neighborhood TODs are also “walkable” communities that provide a safe environment for children and the elderly, pedestrians, and bicyclists.²

Core Commercial Areas

All TODs have a mixed-use core commercial area located adjacent to the transit stop. The core area should provide convenience retail and local offices for small areas and major supermarkets, restaurants, service commercial entertainment uses, comparison retail, second floor residential, and employment intensive offices for large core areas. The core commercial area at the center of TODs is essential because it permits most residents and employees to walk or ride bicycles for many basic goods and services. Other advantages of a central core area is that it can reduce both traffic on arterial streets and miles driven for those who still choose to drive. Finally, core commercial areas provide a mixed-use destination that makes transit use attractive because people will be prone to use transit to get to work if the transit stop is combined with retail and service opportunities.²

Residential Areas

TOD residential areas include housing that is within a convenient walking distance from core commercial areas and transit stops. Residential Areas usually consist of a mixture of housing types, including small single-family lots, townhouses, condominiums, and apartments. The TOD concept of the residential area encourages walking and biking, reduces reliance on the automobile, supports transit service, and creates distinct, identifiable neighborhoods.²

Public Uses

Public uses, such as parks, plazas, greens, public buildings, and public services are required to serve the residents and workers in TODs and neighboring areas. By providing meeting places, recreation opportunities, and lunchtime picnic spots, a strong sense of community, participation, and identity is created within a neighborhood.²

Secondary Area

Secondary areas are located no further than one mile from the core commercial area. The Secondary Area should provide multiple direct street and bicycle connections to the transit stop and core commercial area. It consists of lower density single-family housing, public schools, large community parks, low intensity employment, as well as park-and-ride lots. Secondary Areas do not apply to the TOD concept due to the low density and the automobile use, but does provide market support for businesses in the core commercial area and may generate riders for the transit system.²

TODs and Travel Behavior

The concept of TOD will automatically generate an effect on the travel behavior of commuters. If land use configurations support alternatives to the car, many results are possible:

• People may choose to walk, bicycle, and use transit more often.
• They can combine trips more easily.
• There may be shorter, more direct routes to local destinations.
• People may reduce the number of cars they own. As a result to these changes, reduced congestion on highways and arterial roads is possible.

According to recent studies, TODs produce:

• Higher share of trips by walking and bicycling, as well as transit.
• Increased combining of trips to reduce the overall number of trips and save time.
• Shorter, more direct routes to local destinations.
• Reduced vehicle miles traveled (VMT).
• Reduced auto ownership.
• Slower speeds on local streets.
• Reduced congestion on collector and arterial roadways.
• Reduce household cost for auto ownership and usage.

A similar study with computer simulation programs such as LUTRAQ II also produced the same results. LUTRAQ illustrates the long and short term issues associated with travel behavior with pricing components that initiate short-term changes, while proposing land-use and infrastructural changes that address long-term travel options. The success of LUTRAQ spurred Portland’s regional planning agency to adopt TOD in their future plans.⁴

References

1. Cervero, Robert (October 1998). Transit Villages in California: Progress, Prospects, and Policy Reforms. Institute of Urban and Regional Development (IURD), pp. 3-4 and 12-14.
2. Calthorpe, Peter (1993). The Next American Metropolis: Ecology, Community, and the American Dream. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.
3. Zykofsky, Paul (December 1998/January 1999). Why Build Near Transit?: The Economic and Social Benefits of Transit Oriented Development. Transit California, pp. 6-10.
4. Poticha, Shelley (Summer 1995).Transit-Oriented Development: The Regional Building Block. On the Ground, Volume 1, Number 3, pp. 11-16.

This chapter originally written by Michael Carmen, 2002, as part of a senior project.