Livable communities are hot. In a speech on January 11, 1999, Vice President Gore unveiled the Administration's Livability Agenda while announcing a wide range of measures to assist state and local governments to plan for smart growth. Two days later Republican Senator Jeffords from Vermont and his Democratic colleague Carl Levin from Michigan followed up by announcing the creation of the Senate Smart Growth Task Force, a bipartisan, multi-regional working group dedicated to exploring and promoting community-focused development policies. Governors in over one dozen states led by Democrat Parris Glendening of Maryland and Republican Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey for some time now have also been speaking out on the need to improve the livability of the places where we live, work and play.

Of course, all of this augurs well for transit, since expanding transportation choices is considered one of the key features of a more livable community. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way. Building or expanding the transit line is key, of course, but, it takes more than that to create livable communities. This article will discuss some of the elements that are critical to insuring that development around transit stops does, indeed, contribute to creating more livable communities.

Elements of Good Transit-Oriented Development

During the past 50 years, as automobile-dominated, single-use districts have become the norm in most cities, we have forgotten how to design for the public realm. With the exception of a few central city districts and older neighborhoods, most new residential development, office complexes and shopping centers have been designed to facilitate access for the automobile. Garages and wide streets are the most prominent feature of most suburban residential developments. Commercial and retail centers have been surrounded by a sea of parking spaces. Access for pedestrians and transit vehicles, in many cases, is virtually impossible.

In recent years, transit agencies in cities across the country have been struggling with this issue. Building a light-rail line or putting in new bus service is often not enough to increase ridership especially in communities dominated by the automobile. In the words of G.B. Arrington, Director of Strategic Planning for Portland's Tri-Met: The Field of Dreams theory of development build it and they will come only works in the movies and at freeway interchanges. The challenge is to create environments in which people not only are able to, but want to take transit.

To address the issue of how to create transit-friendly development, numerous transit agencies have developed design guidelines. In a 1994 study on Transit-Supportive Development in the United States: Experiences and Prospects, University of California at Berkeley professor Robert Cervero, identified 38 transit agencies throughout the U.S. and Canada that had developed, or were in the process of developing, design guidelines. While the guidelines differ from community to community, there are many common themes addressed in these documents. Cervero organized these themes into the following three categories: 1) land use, 2) site design, and 3) pedestrian and transit facilities.

In this article we examine some of the key strategies for creating transit-supportive development which are contained in guidelines prepared by the following agencies: the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB), the Santa Clara County Transportation Authority (SCCTA), Portland's Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District (Tri-Met), New Jersey Transit, Snohomish County Transportation Authority (SNO-TRAN) and the Municipal Research and Services Center of the state of Washington.

Land Use

Encourage a Mix of Land Uses
The strict separation of uses that has characterized most of postwar planning in the U.S. has created an absurd situation in which we must rely on a 2,000 pound car to pick up a one-pound loaf of bread. The mixed use districts we find in older communities are not only conducive to walking and bicycling more, but they help make transit more attractive. As the San Diego guidelines explain: Mixed uses create opportunities to substitute walking for driving. Diverse uses along a street also create activity and a sense of security for those waiting for a bus. Current zoning regulations in many communities often require a strict separation of residential, retail and employment uses into large homogeneous areas. In these kinds of developments, the distances between home, work, and shops are too great, and there are often no direct pathways connecting them.... In contrast, mixed uses are a common attribute of our older neighborhoods. When different types of land uses are located in close proximity, it is possible to walk instead of having to drive. Moreover, the pedestrian environments which they create encourage people to walk to bus and trolley stops by providing interesting pathways and places to stop along the way. [MTDB Manual, p.9]

Provide Appropriate Densities
For transit to be viable it is essential that a sufficient number of people live or work close to the transit stop. Several studies conducted in different cities have found that increasing population density is one of the most effective measures to increase transit ridership. However, many communities and neighborhoods reject higher density housing because they associate it with unattractive apartments which are incompatible with lower density, single family homes. Because of traditional opposition to raising densities in many communities, it is essential that developers and city agencies engage residents in a dialogue on how to build attractive, compatible compact housing. There are more and more examples of well-designed, attractive and compatible higher density housing being built in different parts of the country. Densities of eight, ten and even twelve units per acre the minimum typically required to support bus service can be achieved through attractive single-family cluster, zero-lot line or small-lot single-family homes. Two-story townhouses and single family homes with accessory units can achieve densities of 12-20 units per acre. And attractively designed 3- to 4-story flats above parking have been built at densities of 30-70 units per acre.

Locate Highest Density Development Closest to Transit
As summed up by Cervero, densities should gradually decline with distance from the stops, and non-transit compatible (low-intensity) uses should be located away from transit stops. This can be achieved by up-zoning or increasing the permitted intensity of land uses in the areas near transit. Clearly, it makes more sense to place commercial offices and apartment buildings closer to the transit stop than single-family homes.

Locate New Development in Existing Activity Centers
Once a transit line is established, it is critical that land use policies encourage the establishment of mixed-use transit-oriented centers along the new transit route. Often this will require that the city or county revise its zoning ordinance to allow for higher-density, mixed-uses at identified centers. If these types of centers do not exist, efforts will need to be made to create them. The TOD guidelines developed for the Santa Clara County Transportation Authority by Calthorpe and Associates presents this as establishing a core commercial area adjacent to the transit stop. At a minimum, the core area should provide convenient retail and civic facilities. Larger core areas may also include major supermarkets, professional offices, restaurants, service commercial, entertainment uses, comparison retail, and residential over retail or office uses. [SCCTA Design Concepts, p.10]

Focus New Development Close to Transit Stop
All transit users are pedestrians at some point during their trip. If the origin or destination of the trip is too far from the nearest transit stop, most people who have the choice will simply drive their cars. To support transit, a residential neighborhood or commercial district should be located within walking distance of the transit stop. Each community will determine what is a comfortable walking distance for its residents based on topography, climate and other factors, but numerous studies have found that most people will not walk more than a quarter to a half a mile to a transit stop.

Site Design
As noted above, transit users are also pedestrians and it is important that every effort be made to create an environment that is conducive to walking. Transit guidelines often address this by proposing better ways to design sites near transit stops. Following are some of the common recommendations found in transit guidelines.

Locate Retail and Office Buildings Near the Roadway
Placing buildings up to the edge of the sidewalk helps minimize the distance pedestrians and transit users have to travel and provides direct access to buildings along a street. But it does much more than that. The San Diego guidelines explain that one of the factors that helps create a pleasant environment for the pedestrian is the formation of an outdoor space. Most people don't feel comfortable walking in a wide open area with busy traffic passing closely by. Pedestrians are, instead, drawn to streets with a feeling of intimacy and enclosure. This feeling can be created by locating buildings close to the sidewalk, by lining the street with trees, and by buffering the sidewalk with parked cars. [MTDB Manual, p.6]

Place Pedestrian-Oriented Retail Uses Along the Roadway
This follows from the previous point. Locating shops along the roadway attracts people to the area and helps create a dynamic, exciting environment in which pedestrians feel comfortable. Store windows add interest to the street and draw pedestrians along its length. Retail destinations close to the bus or trolley stop are an added incentive for people to use transit. Store owners near active transit stops also benefit from sales to the casual, walk-in buyer.

Orient Buildings Toward Transit Stops
Buildings in suburban locations often turn their backs on the street and orient themselves to parking lots. This automobile-dominated approach contributes to the monotony and sameness of many suburban areas. But it is even less acceptable when done in an area close to a transit stop. As noted above, it is not only a practical matter of making a building more accessible to transit users, but locating the entrance to a building near the street is another one of those elements that helps create an interesting, exciting streetscape.

Minimize Distance to Building Entrances
If buildings or destinations are already set back from the street or the closest transit stop, efforts should be made to minimize the distance a pedestrian must walk by providing a direct, paved route.

Discourage Abundant Free Parking
When it comes to parking, there are a number of key issues that must be addressed if communities are going to create pedestrian- and transit- friendly environments. The San Diego guidelines, emphasize the need to place parking behind buildings and away from the street. Attention must also be given to reducing the amount of land devoted to parking. Cities have traditionally required and retailers have often demanded far more parking than is actually necessary.

Parking expert Donald Shoup points out that most requirements for parking are based on serving the needs of the 20th busiest hour of the year which leaves spaces vacant more than 99 percent of the time that a shopping center is open for business, and leaves at least half of the spaces vacant at least 40 percent of the time. [JAPA, v.61, #1, Winter 1995] Overflow parking for the six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years when parking lots are at capacity can be met through shared parking arrangements, shuttle services, and improved transit service. Recent studies have found that typical parking requirements for office uses in many communities also greatly exceed peak parking demand on a typical day.

Connect Neighborhoods and Transit Stops With Walkways
The issue of providing continuous, direct and convenient linkages for pedestrians is another area addressed by transit guidelines. The Cervero report cites two specific cases: Where sound walls surround a neighborhood, the wall surface should be staggered to create entrance/ exit points. In the case of a cul-de-sac, walkway easements should be used to shorten the distance to nearby bus stops.

Design Streets Appropriate to their Use
Many of the streets in suburban residential areas are much wider than they need to be. Building excessively wide streets not only wastes valuable land, it also undermines a sense of neighborhood intimacy and encourages cars to travel much faster than they should. Streets should be sized and designed according to their function.

Allow for Through and Efficient Movement of Buses
In addition to the need for designing streets and pathways that provide clear and direct connections for pedestrians, it is also important that the need for efficient bus circulation be taken into account. Discontinuous streets, such as loops and cul-de-sacs, often make it impossible for buses to pass through an area. According to the MTDB Guidelines: An interconnected street pattern can solve these problems by allowing buses to penetrate neighborhoods. Interconnected streets also give pedestrians many alternative walking paths and help shorten walking distances. When streets are connected in this way, auto drivers have many routes to follow, as well. This disperses traffic and reduces the volume of cars on any one street in the network. [MTDB Manual, p.11]

Link Adjacent Development Parcels By New Roadways
This follows from the preceding discussion regarding the need for an interconnected street grid, but is especially relevant in suburban areas where each subdivision has its own random, unconnected street pattern.

Pedestrian and Transit Facilities
The third category of issues addressed by transit guidelines relate to specific facilities for pedestrians and transit. While improving the layout of buildings and streets is critical to creating an environment friendly to transit and pedestrians, there are certain facilities that can be provided to make it easier for transit vehicles and users. Most of the transit guidelines that have been developed address the following issues.

Road Geometrics Should Accommodate Transit
It wont do a community much good if it observes all the recommendations listed above but fails to build streets with the necessary turning radii, width and pavement depths necessary to provide bus service. This does not mean that all roads must be widened. If a proper hierarchy of local and collector streets is observed, and on-street parking near corners is properly regulated, it should be possible to provide a safe network for local bus circulation. The San Diego and Portland guidelines, among others, include detailed technical instructions for how to deal with these issues.

Provide Transit Shelters and Other Facilities
Providing comfortable waiting and seating areas and protection from inclement weather are important gestures that help make transit users feel comfortable. Guidelines for how to design transit stops have been developed by many agencies. However, on many occasions the value of transit and transit stops to a development is ignored. The San Diego guidelines emphasize this point: Transit facilities are frequently located at the edge of activity centers to avoid adverse impacts. In the process, transit is less visible and less convenient. Any chance of capitalizing on this public investment is lost. With a little creativity, transit stops can serve as the focal point of a community. They can be combined with convenience stores, daycare centers, restaurants and other neighborhood amenities. Combining such uses reinforces the focal point, making it a real part of the community. [MTDB Manual, p.14]

Provide Generous Landscaping, Paved Walkways, and Safe Street Crossings
Along with comfortable transit stops, it is important to provide other amenities that increase the comfort and safety of pedestrians. These amenities have many practical applications but they also play an important symbolic role in elevating the place of the pedestrian and transit user in the built environment.

Bicycle-Friendly Facilities Should Be Available
Bicycles offer an excellent alternative mode of transportation in many communities. However, to make cycling a viable alternative for more people, special efforts must be made to provide a safe and direct network of streets and paths that are accessible to cyclists. It is also important that secure storage facilities be provided at transit stations, in retail areas and especially at work sites. In addition to storage, businesses should be encouraged to provide lockers and showers so that employees will feel comfortable riding their bikes to and from work.

Make Buildings, Walkways, and Transit Facilities Accessible
Access for people with disabilities is another critical ingredient in creating livable, transit-oriented development. Housing in mixed-use communities that are close to transit can play a major role in allowing people with disabilities to lead productive and independent lives. It is also important to remember that, at some time in our lives, most of us will have to deal with a disability either as a result of an accident, illness or old age. This will become an even greater factor as the large baby boomer generation reaches old age.

Give a High Priority to Transit Passenger Safety and Security
Creating safe, secure transit facilities is critical. While many of the measures discussed above will help create the kind of activity that helps to deter crime, it is also important to address safety issues in designing the transit facility and surrounding areas. New Jersey Transit points out that: Actual and perceived safety are equally important. Without the perception of a safe environment, riders will be deterred from using the transit system, and a process of decay and decline can rapidly evolve.

Conclusion

This article only scratches the surface of many of the issues involved in creating more livable communities through transit. For more detailed information we refer you to Building Livable Communities: A Policymakers Guide to Transit Oriented Development published by the Local Government Commission in 1997.

Paul Zykofsky is Director of the Center for Livable Communities, an initiative of the Local Government Commission, a nonprofit membership organization of local elected officials based in Sacramento. He is the co-author of Building Livable Communities: A Policymakers Guide to Transit Oriented Development from which this article is adapted.

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