Transit-oriented development concentrates daily life within a 5 to 10 minute walk of high-quality buses, trains, and ferries. The goal is to make transit along with walking and biking the easiest choices for most trips and to reduce car dependence without sacrificing access or opportunity.
Transit-oriented development is a practical way to unite transportation and housing objectives into a single mutually reinforcing framework. When cities plan homes, jobs, shops, parks, and schools around reliable transit the result is shorter trips safer streets lower household costs and stronger local economies.
Key characteristics
Great station areas are compact and mixed use. Homes offices retail schools civic buildings and services sit close together so errands and commutes are simple.
Density belongs at stations. The most active uses and the greatest height are closest to transit and then step down into surrounding neighborhoods.
Design favors people on foot and on bikes. Think short blocks safe crossings active ground floors shade and trees lighting and minimal setbacks.
Access is truly multimodal. Protected bike lanes secure bike parking clear wayfinding and well managed pick up and drop off keep people moving comfortably.
Parking is right sized and managed. Cities reduce or remove minimums unbundle parking from leases share district parking and price the curb.
Transit is frequent and reliable all day. Service every few minutes with seamless transfers and comfortable stations makes the system a default choice.
Mix matters. A range of housing types and prices together with community services supports inclusion and long term stability.
Some examples
Arlington Virginia focused growth along the Rosslyn Ballston corridor with closely spaced Metro stations. Mixed use buildings and excellent streets delivered strong ridership and lively main streets.
Hoboken New Jersey used PATH ferries and frequent buses plus parking reform and infill to enable very low car ownership and thriving street life.
Somerville Massachusetts paired the Green Line Extension with upzoning new housing safer streets and active station plazas.
Cambridge Massachusetts used Red Line station areas and strong bike networks to grow mixed use districts while holding car use down.
Evanston Illinois adopted station area overlays near CTA and Metra reduced parking and enabled missing middle housing near Main and Dempster.
Shaker Heights Ohio created the Van Aken District at a light rail terminus with housing retail and public space on a walkable grid.
Normal Illinois built Uptown Station for Amtrak and local buses then added civic anchors streetscape upgrades and infill that supports small businesses.
Hillsboro Oregon built Orenco Station near MAX light rail with fine grained blocks mid rise housing and neighborhood retail.
Beaverton Oregon intensified around MAX with new housing offices and public spaces at Beaverton Central and nearby stations.
Pasadena California planned around Gold Line stations including Del Mar with mixed use buildings reduced parking and walkable streets.
Santa Monica California anchored the Expo Line terminus with a downtown specific plan plus a strong bike network to support car light living.
Tempe Arizona focused housing and jobs along light rail and the streetcar with unbundled parking and good bike and transit integration.
Rockville Maryland built a town center around Metrorail with housing retail and civic uses and a connected street grid.
Redmond Washington upzoned station areas before Link light rail arrived and is adding thousands of homes and jobs with strong bike access.
Fort Collins Colorado created the MAX BRT with station plans mixed use zoning and safe connections between the university and downtown.
Grand Rapids Michigan aligned BRT corridors with infill housing parking reform and better walking and biking connections.
La Mesa California revitalized its village and trolley stations with small lot infill and safer walking and cycling.
Englewood Colorado redeveloped a light rail site as CityCenter with civic facilities housing retail and a walkable block network.
San Leandro California advanced station area plans for Downtown and Bay Fair with upzoning reduced parking and public realm upgrades.
What it takes to make TOD work
Transit must be frequent reliable and comfortable. Give buses priority in traffic ensure short waits and make transfers easy.
Land use policy must allow mixed use and enough homes near stations. Upzone where the transit is and adopt clear form and design standards. Enable missing middle housing by right in walksheds.
Parking and demand management keep driving optional. Lower or eliminate minimums unbundle costs share parking and price the curb.
The public realm must feel great. Calm traffic shorten crossings build protected bike networks and create welcoming station plazas.
Equity must be built in. Use inclusionary housing community land trusts right to return policies rent stabilization where allowed anti eviction measures and small business support.
Governance and finance matter. Coordinate across departments use value capture such as tax increment financing and special districts and pursue joint development and air rights where feasible.
Market readiness and phasing help projects stick. Lead with civic anchors allow flexible ground floors and deliver projects in manageable phases.
Operations count. Keep stations and public spaces clean well lit secure and easy to navigate and program them with regular activity.
Benefits
Mobility improves and emissions fall. People make more trips by foot bike and transit which reduces vehicle miles traveled and traffic injuries.
Housing supply increases where access is best. Families spend less on transportation which improves overall affordability.
Local economies gain. Foot traffic supports small businesses and mixed use districts improve productivity and resilience.
Public finances benefit. Compact neighborhoods use infrastructure efficiently and produce more tax revenue per acre.
Health and social connection rise. Daily physical activity increases streets get safer and access to opportunity expands.
Pitfalls to avoid
Displacement can occur if values rise without protections. Plan for mixed income housing and small business stability from the start.
Transit without supportive land use underperforms. Upzoning without credible transit also disappoints. The two must move together.
Too much parking and fast arterials undermine walkability and transit use. Create people first streets and manage parking supply and price.
Isolated megaprojects with inward facing superblocks and blank podiums deaden the street. Favor a fine grained public network.
Mandated retail on every ground floor can create vacancies. Concentrate active uses where foot traffic supports them and allow other lively frontages elsewhere.
Ignoring buses and bikes harms first and last mile access. Make bus service great and bike access safe.
Putting park and ride lots on prime station land wastes opportunity. Reserve those sites for homes jobs services and public space.
Common misconceptions
You do not need skyscrapers. Mid rise buildings on a connected street grid often deliver excellent outcomes.
Rail is not the only path. Bus rapid transit and frequent bus networks can support strong transit oriented places when speed and reliability are protected.
Building transit does not guarantee development. Zoning the public realm and market conditions all matter.
Transit oriented development does not mean zero parking. It means the right amount shared and priced in a way that supports the street.
Density alone is not TOD. Without walkability mixed uses and frequent service it will not change travel habits.
TOD does not automatically cause gentrification. Outcomes depend on policy design protections and region wide housing supply.
What city councils need to do
Adopt a clear station area vision that prioritizes homes near transit safe streets and economic inclusion.
Change the rules to allow mixed use and mid to high rise buildings within a half mile of stations.
Eliminate or cap parking minimums and require parking to be unbundled from leases. Allow missing middle housing by right in walksheds.
Hardwire equity through inclusionary housing right to return protections and support for community land trusts and small businesses.
Enable by right approvals when projects match the plan and use objective design standards.
Create value capture districts dedicate a share to affordable housing and the public realm and authorize joint development.
Set measurable targets and report progress each year.
What city managers and local government executives need to do
Stand up a cross functional implementation team that includes planning transportation housing public works legal and finance.
Align the capital plan so utility upgrades complete streets station plazas and bike networks arrive when or before private projects do.
Improve transit reliability with bus lanes signal priority and thoughtful curb management and coordinate service and fares with transit agencies.
Negotiate development agreements that deliver mixed income housing public space and district parking solutions and use joint development and air rights where assets allow.
Use public parcels to de risk early phases and favor long term ground leases over fee sales when possible.
Budget for cleaning lighting security and activation of public spaces and enforce parking and curb policies.
Communicate clearly about tradeoffs construction mitigation and benefits throughout delivery.
What staff planners and subject matter experts need to do
Write station area zones with clear standards for form height floor area and frontage. Allow flexible ground floors and a range of housing types.
Set low or zero parking minimums require unbundling and allow shared and off site parking and demand based curb pricing.
Design streets for people with low stress bike networks shorter crossings daylighted corners slower design speeds and shade and stormwater features.
Plan first and last mile access with wayfinding secure bike parking and well managed pickup and drop off. Bake in inclusionary requirements anti displacement strategies and small business support and monitor outcomes by income and race.
Where applicable use programmatic CEQA and NEPA strategies objective standards and pre approved plan sets to accelerate compliant projects.
Track mode share VMT parking use housing delivery affordability retail performance and safety and publish the data.
Partner early with transit agencies schools utilities employers hospitals universities and community organizations.
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