The New Transit Town: Best Practices In Transit-Oriented Development

by Hank Dittmar (Editor), Hank Dittmar (Editor)

Transit-oriented development (TOD) seeks to maximize access to mass transit and nonmotorized transportation with centrally located rail or bus stations surrounded by relatively high-density commercial and residential development. New Urbanists and smart growth proponents have embraced the concept and interest in TOD is growing, both in the United States and around the world. New Transit Town brings together leading experts in planning, transportation, and sustainable design—including Scott Bernstein, Peter Calthorpe, Jim Daisa, Sharon Feigon, Ellen Greenberg, David Hoyt, Dennis Leach, and Shelley Poticha—to examine the first generation of TOD projects and derive lessons for the next generation. It offers topic chapters that provide detailed discussion of key issues along with case studies that present an in-depth look at specific projects. Topics examined Case Studies include Arlington, Virginia (Roslyn-Ballston corridor); Dallas (Mockingbird Station and Addison Circle); historic transit-oriented neighborhoods in Chicago; Atlanta (Lindbergh Center and BellSouth); San Jose (Ohlone-Chynoweth); and San Diego (Barrio Logan). New Transit Town explores the key challenges to transit-oriented development, examines the lessons learned from the first generation of projects, and uses a systematic examination and analysis of a broad spectrum of projects to set standards for the next generation. It is a vital new source of information for anyone interested in urban and regional planning and development, including planners, developers, community groups, transit agency staff, and finance professionals.

Genres: Urban Planning, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2003

Reviews

[Dameon Launert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book inspires me to be an urban planner next life.

Transit-oriented development (TOD) is so obviously beneficially to society, and automobile-oriented development is so obviously inefficient for communities and environmentally damaging, that regionally-planned TOD should be the standard.

[Michael Lewyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, as you might guess from the title, is about attempts to create mixed-use developments near transit stations. Some of the projects profiled were in suburbs or automobile-oriented cities, and as a result ran into more difficulties than I would have expected: for example, retail may be difficult to finance when there are not yet enough residents to support it, and parking creates a variety of problems, When planners propose small amounts of parking, neighbors complain because they fear parking will spill over onto their streets. But when they propose large amounts of parking, more sophisticated neighbors fear that the parking will mean more cars and more traffic. Surface parking blights the landscape, but underground garages are more expensive. Where streets are wide and car-oriented, cities must decide whether to pay for improved infrastructure (such as street trees and widened sidewalks) to improve walkability.

Generally, I thought this book was a bit complex for the average layperson; my impression is that its intended audience was practicing urban planners and maybe the occasional graduate student.