Transit Oriented Development
Seattle’s Capitol Hill Light Rail Attracting TOD Attention
Sound Transit released a request for qualifications to build a 100,000-square-foot mixed-use TOD at the forthcoming Capitol Hill light rail station. Fourteen interested developers responded.
Amanda Burden Gives TED Pitch for Public Space
Amanda Burden amassed quite a track record during her tenure as planning commissioner for New York City, like rezoning 40 percent of the city. In a recent Ted talk, however, Burden concentrated on the details that make for successful public spaces.
After Mayoral Scandal, What Next for Charlotte's Permitting Reform, Streetcar Project?
Former Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon resigned after taking bribes in exchange for zoning and parking privileges. Will the fallout affect the city's streetcar plans or its efforts to streamline permitting and code enforcement?
Development Benefits of Minneapolis’ Blue Line Scrutinized
A new paper in the Regional Science and Urban Economics journal presents a lukewarm review of the Minneapolis Blue Line’s impact on development through 2010—doing little to buoy the market during the Great Recession.
Does Downtown San Diego Measure Up as a 'Vibrant Downtown'?
Piggybacking on John Karras's article, "12 Strategies That Will Transform Your City’s Downtown" (posted in Planetizen as "12 Strategies for Revitalizing Downtowns" on 2/26/1014), Bill Adams takes a look at how downtown San Diego measures up.
How Would the Movie Speed Look in Today's Los Angeles?
Twenty years after the movie Speed, which took place on the Big Blue Bus, Metro rail system, and other transit facilities, Keanu Reeves and crew might not recognize L.A.'s current transit system. L.A. County planner Clement Lau surveys the changes.
San Diego Satellite Town Asks: Smart Growth or Trojan Horse?
San Diego County's "most walkable city" is being challenged to identify the real smart growth: what it has or what is being proposed. At issue: a plan amendment for a high density project near transit. But is the project real?
Will Development Follow RTD Light Rail in Aurora, Colorado?
The mayor of Aurora has lofty ambitions for a new “Main Street” along its forthcoming 10-mile light rail route, but will the market deliver, especially with the rise of real estate prices?
Location Optimization Tools: Toward More Comprehensive and Multi-Modal Indicators
New tools are becoming available to help people evaluate the quality of walking, cycling, public transit and automobile accessibility when making home location decisions. This information can help create more efficient and sustainable communities.
Why the New Urbanist Visionary Who Coined 'TOD' Wants to Retire It
In a wide-ranging interview with Metropolis Magazine, CNU founding member Peter Calthorpe opines on China's planning process, the future of America's suburbs, CA high-speed rail, and why he would retire the term 'transit oriented development'.
10 Principles for Smart Growth in Existing Communities
Frustrated by what's passing as "smart growth" and "transit oriented development," Bill Adams postulates ten refinements (or less subtly stated clarifications) of the principles of smart growth and new urbanism.
Connecticut Seeks to Leverage Transit to Build Roads
With two major transit lines in the pipeline, and several billion dollars of road, bridge, and transit repair and replacement projects planned for the future, Connecticut officials are counting on transit-oriented development to help raise revenue.
Should We Slow Down Our Pursuit of Rapid Transit?
Jarrett Walker examines the desirability of slow transit as argued by University of British Columbia Professor Patrick M. Condon in support of a vast streetcar network for Vancouver.
New Jersey's Transit Stations Serve as Beacon for State's Future
With the second highest share of transit usage in the U.S., a new study three years in the making assesses the development opportunities around the New Jersey's 243 transit stations.
Are TODs Really PODs?
For a while now, I've wondered if we have been mislabeling the development around well functioning transit stops as transit-oriented developments (TODs). This may seem odd, because numerous studies have shown that property values can increase by 20% to 40% percent around transit stops, particularly rail stations (although the increases are uneven).
TOD Booms in California
Transit oriented development is on the rise in California, with new projects being pushed in conjunction with new rail lines in Southern California and the Bay Area.
Land Use Impacts On Travel: Current State of Knowledge
As discussed in my previous column, An Inaccurate Attack On Smart Growth, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) sponsored a research program intended to raise doubts about smart growth’s ability to reduce vehicle travel [...]
Building in Affordability
Rebecca Cohen and Emily Salomon of the Center for Housing Policy examine existing policy tools to preserve and expand affordable housing near planned transit stations.
TOD in 3D
Oregon's Metro has developed a measure for transit-orientation, which uses 3 dimensions to convey the relative diversity in form and activity across the Portland region.
Transit Accessibility Key to Green
Homes located near transit stops are more energy efficient than homes classified "energy efficient", according to a new study from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Ada County Highway District
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
