TOD zones are regulated areas surrounding light rail transit stations that support a mix of uses within an attractive pedestrian friendly environment, offering tangible performance outcomes (such as lower traffic casualty rates, transportation costs and energy consumption) for households, businesses and governments alike.
TODs represent a synergy between compact urban forms and public transport use, drawing in residents who prioritize walking accessibility when selecting their housing choice.
Increased Transit Ridership
Successful TOD can significantly increase transit ridership, reduce household transportation costs and externalities, and significantly decrease per capita traffic casualty rates – especially when providing high quality transit service.
Studies show that households living in TOD drive 45% less than their counterparts living in automobile-dependent neighborhoods (Bailey 2007), leading to significant lifetime savings on vehicle ownership, repair and maintenance, fuel expenses, road tolls, congestion charges and parking fees.
TOD can increase transit service effectiveness and can stimulate local economic development. TOD communities typically are situated within five minutes walking of any rail transit station, and may contain retail stores, offices, single-family residential quarter-acre lots, apartments or some apartments – typically less than half the peak-period parking rates and trip generation rates of Institute of Transportation Engineers guidelines for suburban areas due to factors like transit encouragement strategies and neighborhood design features that facilitate walking or cycling.
Lower Per Capita Traffic Casualty Rates
Public transit use tends to reduce per capita traffic casualty rates in communities as its use grows; this is because transit travel modes tend to be safer than driving when considering external risk (risks to other road users).
As urban residents in transit-oriented communities tend to experience significantly lower overall traffic fatality rates than their counterparts in cities with subpar transit infrastructure, such as Fort Lauderdale, Macon, Tampa and Dallas with some of the nation’s highest car dependence and traffic death rates, research indicates that higher quality transit improves labor participation rates among low income residents who cannot afford cars.
As a real estate developer, it’s crucial to understand that residents of tomorrow will seek sustainable lifestyles and walkability in their new homes. To meet this need, neighborhoods centered around high quality train systems should be prioritized for development – equitable transit-oriented development is an excellent way to create vibrant communities while decreasing carbon emissions and vehicle traffic.
Increased Residential Density
Residents and business owners living in TOD neighborhoods enjoy reduced automobile travel costs; shops, schools and public services can all be reached easily on foot.
Residential density may depend on local and regional circumstances, but TOD typically refers to high-density urban neighborhoods that are well served by frequent transit service with 10 minute headways during peak hour and 5 minute headways outside peak hour; such walkable communities should be situated within five to twenty minute transit rides of their city’s core.
High-quality transit reduces travel costs and externalities, improves accessibility and agglomeration benefits, and minimizes per capita pavement area requirements. Transit-oriented development (TOD) includes strategies such as land use planning, parking management and community facilities which promote walking, cycling and carsharing to reduce private automobile ownership (Cervero et al 2004; Mudigonda 2014). Furthermore, TOD reduces household vehicle expenditures through decreased ownership costs, driving distance and fuel consumption, as well as significant savings realized from reduced parking cost reduction.
More Livable Communities
TOD can bring many advantages for residents, such as increased livability and sustainability. Furthermore, TOD improves access to jobs for low and moderate-income workers – this research indicates that job accessibility decreases length of unemployment and increases employment rates among this demographic group.
TOD refers to development that prioritizes residential, commercial and recreational uses within walking distance of transit stations to make it easier for people to travel without their cars. As a result, TOD can reduce per capita motor vehicle ownership, travel congestion emissions emissions as well as energy consumption.
The Center for Transportation Studies’ TOD Typology Guidebook measures real performance outcomes at 3,700 rail transit station areas nationwide to assess TOD potential. It uses various measures that evaluate how proximity to high quality transit influences per capita automobile travel and parking demand, traffic fatalities, household transportation expenses, local economic development as well as various forms of social welfare spending. Urban density, pedestrian-friendly designs, Commute Trip Reduction programs at work sites as well as cost-effective carsharing/ridesourcing services all play key roles in successful TOD.