Transit Oriented Design (TOD) is an approach to developing areas of mixed residential, commercial, or office uses, focused around transit stops.  In TOD, transit is treated as a community amenity that can be used to encourage high-quality development, and in turn, land uses are laid out in a pattern and form that promote transit use and reduce auto dependency.  Because every transit trip starts and ends with walking, creating a safe and comfortable environment for pedestrians is an important part of Transit Oriented Design.  This environment is achieved through the careful design and planning of streets, buildings, and public spaces, and the incorporation of appropriate mix of land uses.    

Why TOD? The Commonwealth and individual communities have invested heavily in the Keystone Corridor.  Transit Planning allows the Keystone communities to leverage this investment to achieve a wide range of transportation, economic development, and environmental goals.  True Transit Oriented Design can help provide improved regional mobility to a wide diversity of population, increase economic development potential for station areas, strengthen the sense of place and identity of the Keystone communities, and improve the environment by making walking, bicycling, and transit use viable alternatives to driving.

Throughout Plan the Keystone, Transit Oriented Design will be used as a tool to help the communities along the corridor achieve their vision for economic development and growth, while enriching their residents’ quality of life. 

Transit Oriented Design 101 is divided into three lessons:  Lesson 1 covers the basics on what elements make up a great transit station area. Lesson 2 describes the steps a community can take to develop a great station area. Check back soon for Lesson 3 which describes how we evaluate the merits of a potential station location.

Lesson 1:  What makes a station area great?
A successful transit station is like most memorable community gathering spaces.  It is surrounded by different uses, has lots of people living and working near it, is easily accessible and by different modes, and is carefully designed to fit its surroundings.

Lesson 2: How do we create a great station area?
Now that we know what makes a great station area, how do we focus our planning efforts and target our investments to get our station area to be the best it can be? Lesson 2 describes some steps a community can take to develop a great station area.  Planning and design for the station area should be done in close collaboration with the community.  One activity that can be used to engage community members is a charrette.