Core Principles of Successful TOD
The key principles needed to create a successful TOD are:
- Medium to high density development that is greater than the community average. Density matters in TOD. Density is all about scale, with the goal being to create a compact walkable district. Density within the TODs raises the bar and achieves a higher net average resulting in greater ridership, both within the TOD district and within a 5 minute walk of transit.
- A mix of uses. Creating a mix of land uses provides diversity and variety, encouraging people to walk to meet their needs regardless of how they arrive at the TOD. The key is to locate the various compatible uses close together, making them easily accessible to each other in order to improve walkability and reduce automobile use.
- Compact, high quality pedestrian-oriented environment. Vibrant communities, with or without transit, are convenient and comfortable places for pedestrians. Subtle factors, focused on a pleasant environment for the pedestrian, encourage people to walk. Streets must be “calmed” by reducing traffic speeds to be inviting for walking.
- An active defined centre. Transit is particularly successful in communities and neighbourhoods that have defined centres, creating an 18-hour place by offering multiple attractions and reasons for pedestrians to frequent the area throughout the day and evening. Having a dense mix of uses near transit is important to creating a centre, but it must also have a sense of place and community so that people choose to gather there.
- Innovative parking strategies. Parking to reflect the impact of transit is one of the most challenging aspects of any TOD. By creating a more limited parking supply, and moving parking from surface parking lots to on-street parking and parking structures, residents, shoppers and employees are encouraged to use transit to get to the TOD and walk within the TOD. Parking in a TOD should consider four fundamental components: size, location, design and management.
- Public leadership. Historically, TOD revitalization supports the strategy that the public sector must take the primary leadership role and the initiative before the private sector is willing to commit time and money. Public leadership is needed as a station area is being developed, as well as throughout the life span of the station area.
The principles directly influence the land use, circulation, urban form and overall performance of a place. It is not enough for development to be near transit; it needs to be shaped by transit to be a TOD. TOD is more than an individual parcel or development project. TOD includes the entire district surrounding transit, between 400 to 800 metres (1/4 -1/2 mile) from the transit station. Each TOD may look different and have a different function, but each successful TOD will have applied these six core principles in a manner unique to the place.
Last update:
June 10, 2010
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