'Cargo Oriented Development' Brings Life To Industrial Areas

This piece from Smart Growth Online looks at transit oriented development near transit and freight facilities -- dubbed "cargo oriented development" -- as discusses how it can create value in neglected industrial areas.

1 minute read

November 10, 2007, 5:00 AM PST

By Nate Berg


"Among the many benefits of smart growth initiatives, building off a community's underutilized transit and freight assets is a development strategy that can offer a rich combination of paybacks: business and job growth, viable local small businesses, cost savings for the average household, and increased home ownership opportunities."

"Linking development strategies to infrastructure that has become undervalued-once an asset to the region that in many cases spurred its early development-can reinvigorate the often neglected older, industrial communities of a region."

"Transit-oriented development (TOD) and cargo-oriented development (COD), taken together, is an effective community development and smart growth strategy in which the downtown and industrial areas of older suburbs are redeveloped simultaneously, in part by leveraging each suburb's transportation assets."

Thursday, November 8, 2007 in Smart Growth Online

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

View of dense apartment buildings on Seattle waterfront with high-rise buildings in background.

King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents

The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.

2 hours ago - Real Change

Aerial view of suburban housing near Las Vegas, Nevada.

Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing

Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

3 hours ago - Shelterforce Magazine

Green bike share bikes parked in a row on a commercial street with outdoor dining and greenery.

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive

Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.

4 hours ago - Cities Today