Skip to Content
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Log In
Wiki Wednesday

Wiki Wednesday: Transit Oriented Development

dallas_streetcar.jpgIf the United States is in fact on the verge of a transit renaissance, transit-oriented development will have to be part of the mix. In this week's StreetsWiki entry, slinkp writes:

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) grew popular in the 1980s and1990s as a response to suburban sprawl and a means of regeneratingeconomic growth in central cities. Thedevelopment is likely to include housing and/or offices as well asretail stores. A TOD also usually has relatively easy access for peopleon foot and bikes, while cars and other vehicles are discouraged fromparking too close to the station. As a result, TODs are oftenfriendlier to pedestrians and bicyclists than other forms of landdevelopment, and they encourage people to ride trains and buses ratherthan drive. The concept was slow to take off in the United States, buthas gained strength in the first decade of the 21st century as fuelcosts rise and traffic causes many Americans to rethink where they wantto live and work.

Despite evidence that "drive 'til you qualify" sprawl presents an unsustainable drain
on financial and natural resources, planners have been reluctant to
abandon it. Even in relatively transit-rich metro NYC, TOD has been
slow to catch on beyond the realm of private-sector advocacy, though recent remarks indicate the concept is at least on the radar of state-level officials in Connecticut and New York.

Photo: RACTOD/Flickr

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Los Angeles

Friday Bikeway Briefs: Ktown, Leimert Park, UCLA, USC, Highland Park, and Tarzana

Recent bike lanes on 43rd St, Westholme Ave, and Mesa Ave. Bike upgrades on First St and on Jefferson Blvd. Slow progress on Reseda Blvd displays city's meager HLA response.

November 9, 2024

Metro Ridership Snapshot Suggests Added Service, Bus Lanes, and Walk/Bike Projects Increase Riders

Overall Metro ridership grew 7.5 percent year-over-year, but some rail and bus lines grew 10-20+ percent. SBLA explores factors that influenced outsized system-leading ridership increases.

November 8, 2024

Eyes on the Street: 57/60 Freeway Confluence Construction in Progress

New off-ramps have begun to sprout out of the dirt, and widening surface streets are going through the growing pains of construction closures

November 6, 2024
See all posts