{"id":36573,"date":"2023-07-24T10:00:08","date_gmt":"2023-07-24T17:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/?p=36573"},"modified":"2025-08-14T10:49:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T17:49:19","slug":"s101s-explaining-trainsit-oriented-development-benefits-and-drawbacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2023\/07\/24\/s101s-explaining-trainsit-oriented-development-benefits-and-drawbacks\/","title":{"rendered":"S101S: Explaining Transit-Oriented Development: Benefits and Drawbacks"},"content":{"rendered":"

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What is Transit-Oriented Development and what are its benefits and drawbacks?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) has become so common within urban planning circles that many preach it is a \u201cuniversal truth\u201d of sound planning decision-making. Within the North American context, the term has become synonymous with mixed-use towers around transit stations, with advocates touting its many \u2018sustainable\u2019 characteristics. This \u201cdefault\u201d mentality, however, hides a lot of important information about the concept of TOD. As always, let\u2019s dig into interpreting TODs\u2014a little bit of its history, its principles, as well as its benefits and drawbacks.<\/p>\n

First and foremost, it\u2019s important to understand that in its broadest sense \u201ctransit-oriented development\u201d is much, much older than its current expression. The practice of people and activities gathering around heavily trafficked corridors and nodes is thousands of years old. It can be seen in countless ancient settlements around the world. Historically, people and commercial activities naturally migrated to locations where there were a lot of people, and a lot of people happened to be along corridors that connect to significant locations and the intersections of important corridors. It\u2019s a fundamentally straightforward, pragmatic idea that didn\u2019t need any hierarchical \u2018urban planning\u2019 as currently practiced at all.<\/p>\n

Many credit the origins of Transit-Oriented Development in the modern sense to Ebenezer Howard\u2019s Garden City<\/a> movement in England during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Imagined in response to the overcrowded and problem-ridden cities of that time, Howard advocated for the creation of clusters of self-sufficient \u2018planned\u2019 communities that would provide a healthier, more balanced environment for residents each of which would be connected by roads and rail lines.<\/p>\n

The rise of the automobile in the 20th<\/sup><\/span> century saw a drastic shift towards sprawling, car-oriented development. However, this trend began to change in the 1960s and 1970s, as rising oil prices and growing concerns about air pollution and traffic congestion led to renewed interest in TOD. During this time, a number of cities in Europe and North America began to implement TOD principles in their urban planning and development, often as part of larger efforts to revitalize declining inner-city neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

However, it was during the 1980s and 1990s, that TOD took off, thanks to American architect, urban designer, and town planner Peter Calthorpe<\/a>, who is often credited with popularizing the concept of TOD and helping to establish it as a mainstream approach to urban design and planning that countered the negative effects of low-density suburban development. His work aligned with increased investment in public transportation systems and growing awareness of the benefits of compact, walkable communities. Today, TOD continues to be a widely-adopted concept in cities around the world, and is seen as a key strategy for creating sustainable, livable communities in the 21st century.<\/p>\n

But what is<\/i> Transit-Oriented Development exactly?<\/p>\n

In short, TOD emphasizes the creation of compact, high-density, walkable, mixed-use communities centered around public transportation systems. Its principles are well summarized by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy<\/a> in the graphic below. <\/p>\n

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Graphic outlining the Principles of TOD according to the Institute of Transportation and Development Policy. Note that many terms, such as “high residential and job densities” are open to interpretation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Like many popular urban planning trends and theories, however, a large part of its usefulness and power comes from the fact that it can be interpreted<\/i> in several ways. This is also its largest shortcoming. We\u2019ll get into both starting with some of the key potential benefits of TOD:<\/p>\n