Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is generally defined as more compact development containing a mix of uses such as housing, jobs, shops and restaurants within a comfortable walking distance of transit stations (typically a half mile).

TOD is not just development near transit; a successful TOD should also:

• Allow people the options to walk, bike and take transit;
• Boost transit ridership and minimize the impacts of traffic;
• Create a walkable, sustainable community for people of all ages and incomes;
• Provide increased housing and transportation choices;
• Create a sense of community and of place;
• Provide for a convenient, affordable and active lifestyle.

Improved access to transit can reduce a family’s transportation costs as well as alleviate the negative impacts of automobile travel on the environment and the economy.

Learn more about Transit Oriented Developments:

The Center for Transit-Oriented Development/Reconnecting America:
http://www.reconnectingamerica.org/

Center for Neighborhood Technology:
http://www.cnt.org/tcd/

Reports

• Mixed Income Housing - Increasing Affordability with Transit; Center for Transit Oriented Development
• Mixed Income TOD Action Guide; The Center for Transit-Oriented Development for the Great Communities Collaborative
• THE AFFORDABILITY INDEX TOOLBOX: A New Tool For Measuring The True Affordability Of Housing Choices, And Other Tools To Promote Affordability; Center for Transit Oriented Development
• No Time to Waste— the Case for Increasing Housing and Transportation Affordability in the Atlanta Region through Mixed Income Communities
• Better Coordination of Transportation and Housing Programs to Promote Affordable Housing Near Transit; A Report to Congress from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

The Connection between TOD and Affordability

The creation of sustainable, walkable, mixed-use and mixed income transit oriented developments will allow for communities that enable a household to spend significantly less on travel expenses than those households located on outer suburban fringes. Successful TOD communities expand a household’s opportunities by providing access to major employment centers and therefore increased job prospects. Effectively urbanizing along major transportation corridors through increased transit investment and the promotion of mixed-use mixed-income projects is proven to promote sustainable economic security. 

These important facts change the way we plan for our future, and are being recognized both locally and nationally. The House Committee on Appropriations indicated in its FY 2008 report that “the Committee strongly believes that transportation, housing and energy can no longer be viewed as completely separate spheres with little or no coordination throughout the different levels of government”.  The committee instructed the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to play a role in addressing Transit Oriented Development, indicating that the “preservation of affordable housing should become an integral part of transit oriented development” and further directed HUD and the Federal Transit Administration to submit a joint plan for incentivizing affordable housing near transit.  (have a LINK TO REPORT here – this report is also listed above)

In sum, building mixed-income mixed-use housing near transit will play a key role in meaningfully addressing our region’s affordability crisis, while simultaneously impacting the region’s traffic congestion and expanding access to jobs and education opportunities.