Case Studies
- “Healthy Corridor for All: A Community Health Impact Assessment of Transit-Oriented Development Policy In Saint Paul, Minnesota” – PolicyLink, Shireen Malekafzali, Danielle Bergstrom (December 2011). The new Central Corridor light rail line has generated mixed feelings among residents of the Twin Cities who stand to benefit from increased transit access, new development,
and greater opportunity to regional resources. Responding to community concerns, our three organizations came together to form a unique partnership bringing together community organizing, advocacy, and technical analysis. Report Summary. - Transit-Oriented and Joint Development: Case Studies and Legal Issues – Legal Research Digest 36 (August 2011) TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Legal Research Digest 36: Transit-Oriented and Joint Development: Case Studies and Legal Issues examines a combination of large, medium, and small Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) and joint development projects since 1999 and provides comprehensive case studies, with an emphasis on what made the project succeed and how legal issues relate to TODs in general.
- “Honolulu High Capacity Transit Project Urban Design Guidelines” – Parsons Brinckerhoff’s, PlaceMaking Group. he coming of high-capacity transit (HCT) to Honolulu represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to capture the community building and people moving benefits of this major investment in Honolulu’s future. HCT represents the largest new transportation infrastructure project on O’ahu since the construction of the interstate highway system (July 2009).
- Getting on the Right Track: Realizing the Development Potential of Light Rail. A case study analysis of development around Cross County MetroLink light-rail stations in St. Louis, Missouri and Policy recommendations for encouraging transit oriented development (December, 2007).
- Fostering Equitable and Sustainable Transit-Oriented Development Briefing papers for a convening on Transit Oriented DEvelopment held by the Center for Transit Oriented Development, Living Cities and Boston College’s Institute for Responsible Investment at the Ford Foundation. (February 24-25, 2009).
Webinars & Presentations
- Let’s Build Around Light Rail presentation by Katherine Aguilar Perez for Citizens for Modern Transit May 8, 2012 Luncheon. Transit Oriented Development: Economic Opportunities through Transit
- “Value Capture and Transit” – The Center for Transit-Oriented Development presented this webinar 10/25/2011. This webinar introduces participants to the range of value capture strategies that can be employed near transit, and provides real-world examples of innovative value capture strategies currently underway in the US. (Direct link to YouTube)
- “Retrofitting the Region for Economic Success – St. Louis” – Presented by Scott Bernstein, President of the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) at the Citizens for Modern Transit 27th Annual Meeting, September 23, 2011. This presentation details a road map for shifting transportation and commuting patterns in the St. Louis region in order to reallocate money back into the local economy.
- “Ten Principles for Successful Development Around Transit” – Urban Land Institute put together this presentation to help developers understand how to successfully implement development around transit centers, such as bus and rail stations. It includes the following topics: the vision, partnerships, understanding the needs of the developer, parking, creating a sense of place, mixing uses, price points, and taking advantage of changes in corporate culture.
- “Taking Advantage of Transit and Transit Oriented Development” – Shelley Poticha, Reconnecting America (June 2006).
- “Trans-Formation: Recreating Transit-Oriented Neighborhood Centers in Washington D.C.; A Design Handbook for Neighborhood Residents“ – Put together for the District of Columbia Mayor By the D.C. Office of Planning (September 2002).
- “A New Planning Template for Transit-Oriented Development” – Mineta Transportation Institute Publication written by Dick Nelson, John Niles, and Aharon Hibshoosh. Abstract: The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at San José State University assigned a project team to design a planning template for transit-oriented development (TOD) that incorporates an understanding of nonwork travel, that is, trips for shopping, eating out, and engaging in recreational and cultural activities (September 2001).
White Papers
- ULI 10 Strategies for Investing near Transit - Lessons learned from the San Francisco Bay Area (December 2011)
- “Alternative to Traditional Zoning: Form-Based Code“-According to the Form-Based Codes Institute, “Form-based codes foster predictable built results and a high-quality public realm by using physical form (rather than separation of uses) as the organizing principle for the code. They are regulations, not mere guidelines, adopted into city or county law. Form-based codes offer a powerful alternative to conventional zoning.”
- “The Effects of the Announcement and Opening of Light Rail Transit Stations on Neighborhood Crime” – Journal of Urban Affairs, Stephen B. Billings, Suzanne Leland, David Swindell.The debate over crime and rail transit focuses on whether such investments “breed” criminal activities with new targets of opportunity or transport crime from the inner city to the suburbs. Yet, little empirical evidence exists on whether new rail transit actually does lead to increased crime rates around stations. In order to study this question, we test the relationship between crime and rail transit with the 2007 opening of the Charlotte light rail line.
- “Transit Sustainability Guidelines: Framework for Approaching Sustainability and Overview of Best Practices” – The American Public Transit Association (APTA). This Recommended Practice introduces guidelines for designing and operating sustainable transit that both reduces a community’s environmental footprint from transportation and enhances its quality of life by making travel more enjoyable, affordable and timely. (March 2011)
- “Recent Lessons from the Stimulus: Transportation Funding and Job Creation“ – Smart America Growth analyzes states’ investments in infrastructure to determine whether they made the best use of their spending based on job creation numbers. This report evaluates how successful states have been in creating jobs with their flexible $26.6 billion of transportation funds from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). Those results should guide governors and other leaders in revitalizing America’s transportation system, maximizing job creation from transportation dollars and rebuilding the economy. (February, 2011)
ST. LOUIS TOD SWOT ANALYSIS Citizens for Modern Transit and Des Lee Collaborative Vision look at a TOD SWOT analysis of the St. Louis region. At present, there are no full-fledged examples of TOD in the area, defined as mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly, higher-density developments with quality public spaces oriented around transit stations. (October, 2010)
Breaking Down Policy Silos: Transportation, Economic Development and Health in Healthy, Equitable Transportation Policy Recommendations and Research, edited by Shireen Malekafzali (PolicyLink, Prevention Institute, and Convergence Partnership, 2009) Dr. Todd Swanstrom, at the University Missouri- St. Louis, discusses the advantages of putting workforce housing in TODs.
- “Light-Rail Transit in America – Policy Issues and Prospects for Economic Development” This report from the Federal Reserve – St. Louis contains an empirical analysis of the MetroLink light-rail system in St. Louis. Specifically, the analysis looks at the effect of MetroLink on residential property
values in St. Louis County. (August 2004) - “Effects of Light and Commuter Rail Transit on Land Prices: Experiences in San Diego County” – Robert Cervero. Using hedonic price models, appreciable land-value premiums were found for multiple land uses in different rail corridors of San Diego County. (May 2003)
Surveys & Polls
- “Reason-Rupe Transportation Public Opinion Survey – Winter 2011 Topline Results” – Reason-Rupe public opinion conducted a telephone survey of 1,200 adults nationwide and asked them about a range of transportation issues. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The poll was conducted for Reason Foundation by NSON Opinion Strategy. This is part of a series of Reason-Rupe public opinion surveys dedicated to exploring what Americans really think about government and major issues. (December 2011)





