Data indicates broadening the definition of transit-oriented zones to include more of the city would put housing within easy reach of transit for more residents and increase ridership.
A new analysis of transit ridership data in Chicago suggests that expanding the scope of the city’s transit-oriented development (TOD) ordinance to cover a wider geographic area around transit stations could boost ridership and put transit within reach of more residents.
Writing in Streetsblog Chicago, Daniel Cruz explains: “my analysis shows that the correlation between ridership and nearby population is strongest with a radius between 1-1.5 miles, much larger than the distances Chicago considers ‘transit-oriented.’”
Thus, it stands to reason that encouraging more housing development in a wider area would increase transit ridership. “Another TOD expansion makes sense given the data, and should better position the city to meet its goals in terms of equality, sustainability, affordability, and fiscal stability.”
See the source article for an interactive graph and a fuller explanation of the analysis.
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