Implementing a Suburban Network of Transit-Oriented Development Centers: Policy Implications

• Published in: Transportation research record 2004, Vol.1885 (1), p.71-78
• Main Authors: Swenson, Carol J., Dock, Frederick C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0361-1981; 2169-4052
• DOI: 10.3141/1885-11

Urban design and transportation research conducted as part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, Transportation and Regional Growth Study are drawn on to make the argument that despite formulaic descriptions of transit-oriented development (TOD), individual centers produce different findings, influenced by local context, location within a region, access to regional transit systems and road networks, and even how land use mixes are organized within a development. It is suggested that the geographic area that is modeled as part of a transportation study should not be uniformly limited to the traditional 1/2-to 1/2-mi radius associated with TOD; rather, boundaries should be responsive to the development context surrounding the center. It is also suggested that local governments debating the merits of a proposed center may need to consider impacts and planning factors beyond their municipal boundaries and that regions encouraging such alternative development patterns may need to provide planning assistance to enable cities to look outside their borders. It is concluded that intergovernmental and interagency planning coordination and cooperation are necessary to develop a regional network of mixed-use centers successfully. Finally, a research agenda is proposed for complementing and expanding existing theoretical and empirical work and thereby improving the reliability and comparability of TOD transportation studies.