Dense, walkable communities built around transit stations are rapidly transforming regions and cities into exciting people-places.
TOD offers greater returns for public transportation investments, better environmental conditions and offers families more housing choices.
TOD neighborhoods also promote greater equity in terms of job and service distribution, research shows. Residents in TOD neighborhoods tend to drive less and consume less energy compared to residents living in dispersed developments.
Washington D.C.
DC, being both the country’s most populous city and an influential force in climate change and energy security issues, must provide its residents with several transportation and connectivity options – one being transit oriented development (TOD).
TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) refers to the redevelopment of neighborhoods around transit stations with residential and commercial space, based on the belief that people will more readily use public transit and walk or cycle to get where they need to go when living nearby.
TOD areas typically feature high density areas centered on a train station with lower density areas extending outward from it. They tend to be highly walkable with smaller block sizes and limited parking spots available for cars. Successful TOD communities feature amenities like plazas or parks within them and they may even abut open space.
Singapore
Singapore has made TODs an integral component of its urban redevelopment strategy, helping reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality and promote healthier lifestyles while simultaneously revitalizing local economies and creating jobs.
TODs (Transit-Oriented Developments) are compact transit villages featuring high densities of residential buildings and commercial facilities, located close to public transportation stations for ease of pedestrian mobility and equipped with amenities and reduced parking capacity.
TODs have also been shown to increase property values in their surroundings, giving residents access to higher quality of life. However, it should be remembered that TODs must be created with care, with an understanding of a constantly-evolving urban environment in mind and integrated seamlessly with existing transit systems for maximum effectiveness – this requires cooperation from governments, private developers and residents in order for this approach to succeed.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s transit-oriented development (TOD) strategy involves creating sustainable urban environments through high density, mixed use urban design with pedestrian friendly streets and efficient public transit service near key transit hubs. The aim is to reduce car dependency, ease traffic congestion and create sustainable urban environments.
Hong Kong TODs encompass both traditional compact urban neighborhoods in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island as well as new towns developed since 1970 in the New Territories. The latter are linear clusters along mass transit railway lines with similar physical characteristics of TOD: high density mixed use development located on gridiron street networks featuring excellent pedestrian facilities while being enclosed by open rural spaces.
For our research to gain an insight into how TOD influences walking behaviors, we randomly assigned public housing residents from traditional urban neighborhoods or TOD neighborhoods close or far from MTR stations in Hong Kong. The results revealed that trips closer to TOD tend to be shorter; furthermore, distance from transit stations affects walking behavior differently depending upon neighborhood type and location.
Los Angeles
Under voter mandates of billions, Los Angeles City Hall is investing billions to upgrade its transportation infrastructure and foster more livable communities. One key strategy involves incentivizing building near transit stations so more people can use public transit instead of single-occupant cars for access.
Metro’s TOD program rewards developers who agree to build housing units near major bus or rail stops for low and moderate income residents at affordable rents, within certain distances from major stops. Incentive levels vary based on bus or rail line type as well as level of affordability requirements: 9% for local buses, 14% for rapid buses and 20% for rail lines serving high income communities.
Gensler has led many TOD projects as lead planner, emphasizing station and streetscape design that enhances pedestrian experience, while advocating for community outreach programs and development guidelines that reflect local concerns. Jaymes leads Gensler’s Mobility & Transportation practice in California and advocates for TODs that put pedestrians first while keeping workers comfortable at work.