Making the most of transit oriented development opportunities

Transit Oriented Development (TOD) offers a strategy to build population density and transit patronage. Key contributing success factors for TOD that are identifiable through a review of best practice international research include; innovative and supportive planning policies, high quality urban design, 21st century transport infrastructure and improved co-ordination between stakeholders. TOD provides opportunities for transport providers and operators, local governments, private business and communities. Quality TOD offers major opportunities to leverage private development and public open space in close proximity to the people-moving capacity provided by existing and planned transit infrastructure. As such, quality TOD offers the opportunity to make the most of transport infrastructure dollars. With a co-ordinated approach, transit ridership might also be boosted through TOD, and this should offer benefits for transport efficiency and transport authority revenues. Challenges and complicating factors for TOD include; identifying workable approaches that can assist with putting extensive existing knowledge and research on TOD into practice in building a network of TOD projects. Innovative means to overcome various barriers are also required. The coming challenge in TOD might be characterised as a need to turn opportunity into reality through a co-ordination of project management and long-term transport planning