Transit-oriented development (TOD) refers to neighborhoods built around public transit stations or to incremental changes made within existing suburban communities that access such transit networks. TOD fosters compact, mixed-use development that prioritizes pedestrian-friendliness.
TODs generate significantly fewer auto trips than conventional, automobile-oriented developments (Cervero et al 2004), thus decreasing consumer transportation costs and externalities while expanding travel choice and efficiency.
High-density development
High-density development is an integral component of transit-oriented development. It reduces car commute distance and supports other TDM strategies by creating an attractive environment for walking and bicycling, creating jobs, economic opportunity and sustainable urban forms – not to mention increased property values in your neighborhood.
TOD can enhance the quality of life for all by creating engaging public spaces, encouraging healthy activities, and decreasing automobile travel (Litman 2003). Furthermore, TOD reduces traffic congestion as well as providing health, environmental, and economic benefits to its participants.
TOD fosters equitable development by providing affordable housing and linking low-income residents to job opportunities and services. Implementation requires using tailored strategies that ensure low-income communities and people of color benefit from and are not displaced by TOD projects. Furthermore, TOD projects create livable neighborhoods by encouraging a mix of uses on land as well as access to affordable transportation options; such as merging drives or placing commercial centers close to transit stops within reasonable walking distance for greater accessibility as well as including transit linkages into developments.
High-quality public spaces
An essential aspect of transit-oriented development is creating high-quality public spaces that promote legibility, accessibility and connectivity between uses. Such public spaces may include pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure as well as parks and open space – using these can reduce car use in neighborhoods while expanding access to services and jobs.
TOD projects may include new urban transit lines and stations as well as changes to existing neighborhoods with public transit access. TOD practices can incorporate elements from Smart Growth, New Urbanism, and Location Efficient Development practices in order to meet Livability, Accessibility, and Nonmotorized Transportation goals.
TOD can substantially decrease per capita motor vehicle travel, as explained in the Chapter on Land Use Impacts (Cervero and Arrington 2008). Furthermore, TOD encourages walking and cycling for transport costs reduction, helping households avoid car trips altogether while helping households save money in transportation expenditures and traffic fatalities as discussed in the Transportation Costs and Benefits chapter.
Accessibility to public transportation
Realizing an equitable transit-oriented development requires employing various strategies, including improving housing affordability and addressing displacement concerns. If possible, such strategies should form part of the initial planning process in order to guarantee equitable results.
Successful TOD strategies enhance accessibility to public transportation by increasing the number of trips that can be made by nonmotorized means and decreasing car trips, thus decreasing consumer transportation costs and energy consumption, by decreasing per capita vehicle ownership, travel expenditures and expenditures (Land Use Impacts on Transport).
TODs often form around bus or rail stations, featuring high-density residential areas with mixed uses as well as lower density areas spread out from them. This area is commonly known as a transit village or TOD zone. A walkshed around a station is defined as an imaginary circle centered on its transit stop that may extend beyond it and cover its immediate surroundings; major stations with frequent, high-speed service may span an entire quarter mile radius of this walkshed area.
Convenience
Transit-oriented development (TOD) relies heavily on creating convenient processes, products and services that minimize accessibility barriers while saving resources such as time, effort and energy. This concept relies on the belief that individuals will be more inclined to travel by public transit if they can easily gain access to what they require and want without needing their own vehicle.
Successful TOD neighborhoods generally experience lower per capita household vehicle ownership costs and parking expenses than non-TOD communities; these neighborhoods also produce less regional transport GHG emissions (CNT 2010).
TODs can be defined as communities comprised of residential, retail, office space, entertainment and civic uses clustered around a high quality transit stop or corridor with excellent walkability, traffic calming and parking management features. A typical TOD features single-family homes on quarter-acre lots alongside apartments as well as small neighborhood commercial uses with narrow and patterned streets designed to discourage through traffic.