by Taner R. Özdil, Ph.D., ASLA, Kal Almo, ASLA, AIA, Lauren Patterson, PLA, ASLA, Jenny Zhang, Associate ASLA, Tyler Smithson, ASLA, and Brent Raymond, ASLA, OALA, FCSLA, MCIP RPP
Transit Oriented Districts have been helping reinvigorate towns and cities across the United States and Canada. Beyond the limiting definition of Transit Oriented Development (TOD), Transit Oriented Districts (TODts), are typically defined as the whole area within half a mile of a transit station and are seen as desirable choices for development in metropolitan areas to accommodate the concerns surrounding population growth.
TODts are typically characterized by higher development density and a varied mix of land uses, offering sustainable development options to counteract some of the negative effects of urban sprawl, declining urban cores, and congestion sparked by rising populations and mobility. They contain a diverse mix of uses such as housing, employment, institutions, shops, restaurants, and entertainment. These districts aspire to have a strong sense of place, and a diverse set of travel mode choices. TODts are typically designed in conformance with a coherent district plan or zoning overlay that commonly stipulates the type and scale of uses, permitted densities, and related regulatory and recommended items. These districts are usually expected to be organized around the station areas with unified plazas, squares, parks, and streetscapes, and function more like a district than a single development and a project (Ozdil, 2014).