TOD
Does Downtown San Diego Measure Up as a 'Vibrant Downtown'?
Piggybacking on John Karras's article, "12 Strategies That Will Transform Your City’s Downtown" (posted in Planetizen as "12 Strategies for Revitalizing Downtowns" on 2/26/1014), Bill Adams takes a look at how downtown San Diego measures up.
How to Gain 21 Million Transit Trips a Year in Chicago?
At a recent hearing of the Northeastern Illinois Public Transit Task Force, experts like Peter Skosey made the case for the types of changes necessary to meet Chicago’s goals for increased transit ridership, focusing on transit oriented development.
New Transit Plan in Juneau, Alaska—TOD to Follow
The Planning Commission of the Alaskan capital city recently approved a transit plan that expands service and increases pedestrian access. As next steps, city leaders are talking about providing incentives for development along the transit routes.
San Diego Satellite Town Asks: Smart Growth or Trojan Horse?
San Diego County's "most walkable city" is being challenged to identify the real smart growth: what it has or what is being proposed. At issue: a plan amendment for a high density project near transit. But is the project real?
Streetcars and Recovery
A study of streetcar-adjacent development patterns in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina provides lessons for the many U.S. cities building and planning new streetcar lines.
As Cities Benefit from Streetcar-Spurred Development, Atlanta Asks: Where's Ours?
New streetcar lines in cities like Kansas City, Tucson and Cincinnati are already generating residential development, long before the first passengers hop on board. As Atlanta lays the track for its new system, ATL Urbanist asks: Where's ours?
TOD in L.A.'s Low-Income Communities Gets $100 Million Boost
With L.A.'s transit system expanding its footprint and growing its ridership, $100 million in development capital from a national philanthropic organization will help fund projects around stations in the city's underserved communities.
Too Much TOD Set to Strain D.C.'s Subway
New development is poised to add thousands of riders to D.C.'s Metro, but rush hour trains are often packed already. Though Metro has proposed $6 billion in fixes, some see better land use planning across the area as the key to solving the problem.
Retaining Affordable Housing Near Transit Just Got Easier
Changes to the criteria for evaluating applications for the federal New Starts program could have a significant impact on efforts to preserve and expand affordable housing in close proximity to transit.
Can Transit Oriented Development be Effective in India?
TOD as a planning tool is new to Indian cities, where the idea is being championed as a solution to congestion, environment quality and housing equity. Can this concept, developed for the North American city, be successful in Indian cities?
CA Redevelopment Bill: Communist Land Grab or Catalyst for Affordable Housing?
Amid political demagoguery, a bill to help spur infill redevelopment and the creation of affordable housing in California, following the dismantling the state's redevelopment agencies, is advancing through the California legislature.
Editorial: Connecticut Must Do More to Support Compact Development
Though Connecticut is well served by commuter rail, a new report indicates that only half of the communities with Metro-North station have land use regulations in place to maximize development around them.
What is the Ideal Catchment Area for TODs?
The half-mile circle has become the standard metric for focusing planning efforts and judging the impacts of transit-oriented development. A new study examines whether the half-mile circle is an effective predictor of TOD success.
Is Your Project Transit-Oriented or Merely Transit-Adjoining?
As many planners know, building next to transit doesn't guarantee a project will have the ridership boosting effects envisioned by proponents of such developments. A new tool seeks to provide an objective measurement of TOD effectiveness.
Neighborhood Units Matter
This just in: Neighborhood Units missing in action as cities continue to attempt 3D governance using 2D laws. Howard Blackson argues why Neighborhood Units are the key element to placemaking.
Westside Fights Smart Growth: Can Any Development Navigate L.A.'s Traffic Nightmare?
On the Westside of L.A., where rush hour traffic slows to a crawl on the best days, a proposed transit-oriented development called the 'quintessential example' of smart growth by the Mayor's staff faces opposition to its size and attraction to autos.
Maryland County Seeks to Spur TODs by Fast-Tracking Approvals
Prince George's County will streamline the review process for developers who build around public transit stations, writes Miranda S. Spivack. The bill could speed up the approvals process by as much as a year.
Applying the Brakes to the Streetcar Revival
With Los Angeles, Charlotte, Washington D.C. and many more cities hoping on board, seats are filling up quickly on America's streetcar bandwagon. However, experts caution gung ho cities about unreal expectations for improving mobility.
Will New Mayor Seize the Opportunity to Build a 'Truly Urban' L.A.?
The new mayor of Los Angeles is young, charismatic, and a champion of urbanism and smart growth. He should start using all these assets immediately to transform Los Angeles into the vibrant, transit-oriented city it can become, says Bill Fulton.
Could L.A. Mayoral Candidate's Smart Growth Advocacy Cost Him the Election?
As L.A.'s mayor race enters its final week, polls suggest the two candidates are essentially tied. While there isn't much space between them philosophically, Eric Garcetti has supported density around transit, a position many find objectionable.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
