Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is a popular planning framework that supports concentrating development, including offices, retail, and dense residential, around transit stations. The Center for Transit Oriented Development (CTOD) recently published a set of TOD best practices, TOD 203: Transit Corridors and TOD, that advocates for corridor planning as the basis of effectively applying TOD principals. The corridor is the primary scale on which long-term market growth, commuter behavior, and gentrification impact of transit can be predicted. Corridors with several transit stations also provide the opportunity to plan cost-effective development strategies while engaging the community from the onset.

The CTOD manual presents six TOD objectives for corridor planning and corresponding strategies to achieve them. They are:

1.       Guide growth and development - Making stakeholders understand the manner in which transit can influence real estate development around stations, spur smart growth, and reduce traffic congestion is imperative. Effective corridor TOD planning does not cause market development, but a successful TOD core can encourage growth in other stations. Developers and agencies involved in the planning process must pinpoint potential development sites and link activity centers with transit stations with mixed use development.

2.       Support regional economic growth - Creating transit options enhances accessibility to jobs and other attractions while reducing commuting time and transportation costs. A recent study by the CTOD also indicates that high skill employers prefer dense, urban locations, since these employees benefit from agglomeration. On the other hand, suburban employers are hard to reach with public transit, increasing costs for employees and transit agencies. Low income groups face particular disadvantages, as poor accessibility also leads to fewer employment options.

3.       Enhance regional and local equity - Gentrification and displacement of low income residents is a common outcome of increased growth and demand in TOD corridors. However, maintaining affordable housing in the neighborhood must be a priority to ensure equitable development and benefits for all income groups.

4.       Promote reinvestment and increase spending power - Analyzing the current market situation of the corridor and specific station areas can help create an economic revitalization policy. These may include skills development and priority hire for locals, tax incentives to attract firms into the corridor, shared parking provisions, and focus on urban design and placemaking.

5.       Invigorate stakeholder engagement and collaboration – The involvement of major stakeholders like community based organizations, local business groups, elected and government officials, private developers, educational institutions and social equity advocates is important for long term sustainment of the corridor. Collaboration between planners and community can also help to direct public investment and alleviating concerns of old residents.  

6.       Maximize TOD potential and benefits - Creating a TOD Implementation and Investment Plan is advised with involvement of stakeholders to help set of priorities and goals for new station areas and direct public and private investment.

Many organizations have useful TOD resources on the web, including:

• Realizing the Potential, a report from the Center for Transit Oriented Development on creating affordable housing near transit.
• Reconnecting America, a non-profit associated with the Center for Transit Oriented Development that aids collaboration between community groups and civic leaders. The resource center features reports and publications on Transit Oriented Development.
• San Francisco Bay Area’s Great Communities Collaborative provides a Tools and Resources section that provides materials and links to other organizations involved in improving public transit. 
• The American Institute of Architects article 10 principals for Livable Communities also provides strategies for box development.
• An article from the American Planning Association, “How to Make Transit Oriented Development Work” discusses the impact of TOD on communities using case studies from various jurisdictions.

• Transportation Financing, an article on the Knowledge Network from the National Association of Realtors profiling local governments that have successfully integrated public transit and met the needs of the community.
• A form-based code provides support for TOD in Sarasota County, Florida.
• An article on new investment generated by a light rail line in Phoenix, Arizona.