Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 2.4 
Key features of Transit Oriented Development (TOD). (Source: Calthorpe
1993
)
1.
Growth is organized to be compact and transit-supportive
2.
Commercial development, housing, jobs, parks, and civic uses are within walking distance
of transit stops
3.
Street networks are pedestrian-friendly and directly connect local destinations
4.
Housing is of intermixed types, densities, and costs
5.
Sensitive habitat and high-quality open space are preserved
6.
Public spaces are the focus of building orientation and neighborhood activity
7.
Infill and redevelopment are encouraged along transit corridors within existing
neighborhoods
least attenuating the negative impacts of sprawl and is more focused on inner city
developments. TOD believes that transportation networks affect land use and vice
versa, and so argues that public transportation nodes and their surrounding neigh-
bourhood should become the basic unit of design organization. The nodes them-
selves take on a particular identity and human-scale architecture; they are pedestri-
an-scaled, contain a diversity of land uses, activities, and populations, and should
have well-defined public spaces (Calthorpe
1993
,
1994
). In essence these transpor-
tation nodes are to have the qualities of small towns within the urban fabric, while
at a regional scale many plans seek to identify such nodes as the growth centres in
the region, attempting to build them up as mini-downtowns. Some research seems
to indicate that there are links between TOD forms of development and quality
of life, personal health and fitness, economic sustainability, municipal efficiency,
and the production of better places to live and work (DeCoursey and Athey
2007
).
For example, Orenco Station, in the town of Hillsboro near Portland (Oregon) is
often cited as a good example of the implementation of these initial TOD ideas.
Here, the developers created a distinctive 'village' of 1800 homes, a town centre,
office, retail and nearby employment surrounding the light rail transit node, as one
of a number of 'town centres' that were part of Portland's 2040 regional plan. The
development included a mix of residential, office, and retail spaces, together with a
distinctive town centre and live-work townhouses. Many other cities have adopted
similar principles and moulded the requirements to the local circumstance. Indeed
DeCoursey and Athey (
2007
) argue that the idea of 'complete communities' is what
defines a TOD, and a good TOD implementation has five traits: (a) quality transit
facilities and services; (b) it is walkable with a high quality pedestrian environment;
(c) it has unique destinations—complete communities with a community centre and
the right mix of uses; (d) is compact, with highest densities closest to transit; and
(e) parking is carefully located, designed, and managed. Most of the key principles
of TOD in a locally specific context can be seen in the award-winning design of
'The Bridges' in Calgary, a TOD development in the old inner city community
of Bridgeland, less than a mile from the city centre. Claimed to be one of the best
examples of TOD in Canada, The Bridges was developed by the City of Calgary on
an old hospital site close to an existing Light Rail Transit stop. It will be home to
approximately 2500 residents in a mixture of housing types and densities, includ-
