Congestion in cities is increasing. There are more cars on the road. more roads are congested and delays are getting longer don’t you get tired of driving in traffic constantly dealing with traffic can be stressful and have long-term impacts on your physical and mental health wouldn’t it be great if you could live ,work and shop in the same area without spending so much time and money having to drive everywhere or at least have a safe reliable and convenient way to walk bike or take transit to get to most of your destinations transit oriented development or TOD gives us those options.
TOD evolves around a bus or rail transit station . Its area is a quarter to a half mile around the station this is where we want to maximize the amount of residential business and public space within a five to ten minute walk to the station you’ll find condos apartments townhouses offices shops public parks and plazas forming the mixed-use hub around the station.
TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT have Street Designs that encourage walking and biking with compact blocks safe and attractive walkways well marked pedestrian signage and other amenities since fewer people need to drive parking lots take up less space and are incorporated into buildings or located just outside the signage area one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to TOD there are different types for different areas so they fit with their surrounding communities these areas could be urban or suburban with varying mixes of residential office and retail spaces housing could include high or mid rise condos or apartment and townhomes in urban areas and men or low-rise units. Town homes and small lot single family homes in more suburban areas businesses could range from high-rise offices with street level retail and urban areas to local retail with apartments above and live workspaces in the suburbs signage provide more options for how we live and travel transit oriented development supports livable communities for all ages all residents can have a better quality of life when jobs shopping healthcare and entertainment are more accessible this is especially important for the growing number of senior citizens youth and people who can’t or prefer not to drive seniors are more mobile and connected to the community and services Millennials are attracted to work environments with affordable housing and access to transit biking and pedestrian amenities as employers compete for high-skilled workers to fill the jobs of the future transit oriented developments will help them attract the best and brightest talent .It also reduce expenses housing and transportation costs are the two highest expenses for most families. TOD often decrease household expenses due to the reduced need and expense of personal automobiles development associated with TOD is often cheaper than sprawling developments that require new automobile infrastructure proximity to transit stations can also create higher more stable property values and create an enhanced ability to maintain economic competitiveness through redevelopment and infill development finally TOD are better for the health of our communities and our environment the improved safety and creation of pedestrian friendly environments allows for a healthier lifestyle with more walking and less stress by providing active travel choices.
TOD can help create a cleaner environment due to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from automobile use they can also reduce water runoff and flooding by reducing hard infrastructure and incorporating green spaces that help absorb access water so how do we create these great places over time land use and zoning practices led to low-density auto dependent development this keeps places to live work and shops separated so it requires driving to get from one place to another an increased parking demand at all these separate locations it also makes it harder to connect these places with transit regional or local governments can encourage it through land-use planning zoning laws and changes to building codes. Projects can be made possible by using federal funding public/private partnerships or incentives including reduced parking requirements fee waivers streamline permitting and special zoning local governing authorities transit agencies business and property owners and citizens can work together to make these changes looking back at the way many of our communities were built we can see that they centered around ports and rail stations people live worked and shopped around these transportation hubs as the economy became more industrialized and cities became more crowded we separated commercial and industrial areas from residential areas eventually we spread housing and businesses so far apart that many communities have become disconnected transit oriented development is a way to bring that connection back to put people and our quality of life first to give us options for getting around and to ensure that people have a way to get to work shopping and Recreation even if they don’t want to drive or have a car if you want to be able to walk bike or take transit to get where you need to go.
Infrastructure is a key driver for action. A truly holistic approach to infrastructure requires stepping away from a silo/sector-based approach and understanding that infrastructure is made up of not just physical things or assets, but consists of three major parts: assets, knowledge, and institutions.
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