Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is a management strategy that offers sustainable answers to urban development at different levels and reduces the heavy automobile dependence. In dealing with transport-related issues, TOD encourages the use of transit for better sustainability. The number of railway patronage is the best index used to measure the success of TOD. However, TOD may also generate many short local car trips within the neighbourhood. The main research objective of the thesis is to investigate the factors that influence the three major transit modes of transportation within the neighbourhood. The ultimate goal of this thesis is to guide development policies that create more sustainable transport. Although many studies have looked at TOD residents’ travel behaviour at a regional or city level, most of them were based on North American cities. TOD neighbourhoods are assumed to have similar impacts on travel behaviour as they are generalized. Local trips within the TOD are less understood. A neighbourhood level analysis is used to explore residents’ travel behaviours in 60 neighbourhoods of Hong Kong delimited by a five-hundred-meters buffer area around each MTR station. An in-depth statistical analysis of the transit shares of 60 TOD and non-TOD neighbourhoods is made. This research design highlights the influence of TOD neighbourhoods in the use of transit for trips in different local communities, but most importantly it also identifies variability within the TOD neighbourhoods. Built environment’s variables, which may influence the modes of transportation, are selected. Principal component analysis is used to reduce the number of variables to 5 latent factors. Those factors are identified as specific characteristics of the built environment. In order to understand the relationship between the extracted factors and the use of transit modes, regressions are conducted. The results confirm that a dense economic urban area and the station integration to other transportation networks could explain residents’ travel behaviour for metro by 32%. It also shows that those two factors together with a mostly residential area with large families also explained 47% of the residents’ travel behaviour for walking. Variability of the bus' modal shares is not explained by any factor of the built environment used in the regression model. Buses have been identified as being more important in non-TOD neighbourhoods and a less sustainable mode of transportation than walking and metro. This study provides important guidelines for TOD development to further promote walking and the use of metro. The variability of TOD neighbourhoods in Hong Kong and, ultimately, its influence on people’s choice of sustainable transportation mode is demonstrated. This study brings a better understanding of TOD in the Asian context and how to increase its sustainable aspect through transportation. The findings of this study can be used by policy makers. / published_or_final_version / Geography / Master / Master of Philosophy

A Research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Development Planning, Johannesburg 2019 / As cities continue to experience rapid urban growth there are opportunities which exist in linking transport planning with dynamic land uses within the city. The main planning approach which stands out in achieving this is transit-oriented development planning. This form of planning is essential as it connects people with services and employment opportunities located in cities and urban areas. Transit-oriented development of a higher quality has the potential to generate revenue which can be used to improve the quality in transit-oriented systems and ultimately boost economic growth and development. Inclusive to this statement is the idea that transit systems are associated with societal benefits; congestion relief, social equity improvement, reductions in dangerous gas emissions and economic development. This study explores the importance of TOD and especially the prescribed linkages between proximity to a railway station and the influence this has on nearby commercial property prices. The study discusses the possible effects of other amenities found around close to the commercial properties and determines. The aim being to find out if these other amenities also have an impact on commercial property values in the study area. This is done through unpacking relatable discourse associated with transit-oriented development and through a research process which investigates whether there are other factors influencing commercial property values around the railway station in Jeppestown. The study will contribute towards the broader body of literature around TOD nodes, rail transit stations and commercial property values by providing empirical evidence provided by a quantitative study. The study uses multiple regression models to determine whether commercial property values are influenced by their proximity to a railway station or by other factors. It was initially expected that proximity would have an impact on commercial property values, but at the same time there was an argument for other factors and conditions located nearby to the commercial properties having an influence too. The empirical evidence collected showed that the proximity to the railway station was not statistically significant. The determinants of commercial property value which were significant were distance to school’s property age, retail, industrial and unidentified property. The limited impact of a railway station on commercial property value has been discussed in the analysis section of this thesis. The discussion has shed some light on the gaps associated with the way in which railway stations relate to commercial real estate property values in Metropolitan cities, across the developing world and beyond. The findings of the study will contribute towards better transit oriented development policies to be formulated as well as a better understanding of how public sector investments can help create value for properties. / PH2020

Transit-oriented development (TOD) and its effect on property values research has resulted in mixed findings. Some researchers report positive effects on property values while others are negative or inconclusive. Research on cities such as New York City, Boston, Atlanta and San Francisco have focused on the proximity to rail stations and the negative externalities that accompany it by conducting hedonic pricing models. Other studies have focused more specifically on residential or commercial parcels and their property values at different time points of station development. This research focuses on five MARTA stations within Fulton County, Georgia: Ashby Station, Lindbergh Station, Sandy Springs Station, Vine City Station and West End Station. Data was obtained from MARTA and Fulton County that includes parcel and tax assessor information. Buffers zones within one-fourth mile, one-half mile and one- mile were created around the stations and an average appraised property value and average land value was determined. A comparative analysis was conducted to determine the effects proximity to rail has at stations with planned and unplanned development. The research shows that TOD in the Atlanta area has minimal impact on property values. What appears to have more of an impact is the median household income of the neighborhood surrounding the transit station, which of course reflects the value of property afforded.

Thesis (M.U.R.P.)--Ball State University, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Apr. 15, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. [116]-119).

Past practices for determining the routes of bus rapid transit (BRT) corridors in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada have largely relied upon comparisons of quantitative factors. This research recommends qualitative factors to be incorporated into the process in order to present a more complete evaluation of proposed transit routes. Key Winnipeg informants were interviewed from three groups: transit officials, planners, and developers. Each group has a vested interest in the establishment of new BRT corridors and the construction of transit-oriented development (TOD) around the stations. Informants from Ottawa were interviewed to provide insights from another city having long-standing rapid transit development. The research identified eleven factors that should be taken into consideration when evaluating and selecting the routes for BRT corridors in Winnipeg. A framework of recommendations was developed, with the two foundational factors of transportation value and long-term city-building providing a basis to expand on using transit, development, and planning factors. / May 2017

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Blake Belanger / Sustainable landscape design is generally understood in relation to three principles—ecological health, social justice, and economic prosperity. However, people have neglected to recognize the significance of their impact on the environment. The real conflict begins to address our relationship with the environment and how we attempt to reconnect and reverse centuries of environmental degradation. As a society, we lie at the intersection of the past and the future, presenting us the opportunity to think organically. Harboring values much different from post-industrial thinking, organic values work with nature rather than against it. However, most contemporary processes are not organic in nature. Rather they are products of our isolated way of thinking; a limited form of consciousness that arrogantly declares that we are the greatest intelligence on Earth. This consciousness has taught us that for our survival, it is our duty to subdue nature, relating to it as a resource for implementing how and what our minds invent. We have learned to relate to nature as a commodity rather than respect it as our community. Infusion seeks to establish this connection by creating a Transit-Oriented Development in the Knobtown District that uses the power of aesthetics to promote and inspire educational exploration, cultural expression, and ethical revelation of sustainable design. Supporting this solution is a four-part foundational framework that identifies specific design principles that are envisioned to improve the way we relate to our environment through aesthetic eminence educational exploration, cultural expression and ethical revelation. The conceptualized framework is structured to be adaptable for many design situations becoming a foundation for the way in which we design and interact with form and space. In its final state, Infusion communicates the significance of these essential design principles and how the new Knobtown District can become an important part of the Rock Island Corridor.

The nature of transport systems determines how people can travel from Johannesburg to Pretoria within the city. This research report seeks to demonstrate that transit-oriented development (TOD) as a concept has a strong sustainability agenda, and also has a strong developmental thrust. Concepts such as the “compact city” and the “smart city”, propagated for the sustainable use of the city and were used to influence the planning of TODs. The research report will seek to gain an understanding of how transit-orientated developments work and also how different concepts have influenced the way they are planned. The report also uses theories such as compact city, sustainable city and other theories like Christaller’s (1933) central place theory to form an explanation as to why these TOD nodes could be seen as attractive. Because the City of Johannesburg has promoted the use of TOD, property developers are indirectly encouraged to develop in these areas through various incentives that have been placed in the node. This study focuses on the Sandton area and specifically the area around the Gautrain station, and investigates how the concept of TOD has made the node more attractive for retail development and consumers. Apart from providing a basic understanding and overview of TOD, it explains the logic behind TOD and what makes it attractive to developers and consumers. The literature looks at theorists like Christaller (1933) to explain this phenomenon, while the epistemology of multiplicity is one which uses mixed methods to ensure that the questions posed in the research, along with the theories in the literature, are proved or disproved. This research report concludes by reflecting on some of the key factors of TOD that affect attractiveness. The main reason for this report is that, by identifying what is attractive to the consumer and the developer, a better understanding of the logic that underpins the market will be developed. A clearer understanding of the logic that operates in this market could allow for a number of new insights both when planning TOD nodes combined with major infrastructure projects, and when looking to develop in these areas. Another of the important questions that were answered was whether or not shopping-centre attractiveness was enhanced by TOD policies.

Thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Architecture (Professional) to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Architecture and Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2017 / This research report is an exploration of the public arena of a transport interchange in Vereeniging’s urban centre, and the opportunities created within a zone where many people of different backgrounds converge and interact. Therefore the document looks at various forms of transport converging on a single node and how best to integrate these into a single zone where all can feed off one another and enhance the experience within the public transport realm itself. The divisions of race, class & income cannot be wished away in Vereeniging, therefore the urban context of the inner city needs to be addressed (this indirectly affects the mindsets of the city’s inhabitants). The local informal economy, mini-bus taxi industry, bus services and rail have each appropriated responses to overcome the obstacles of segregation. The entrenched presence of the local informal economy and mini-bus taxi industry and its legal conflict with formal urban systems further fuels their independence. This still young newly found independence can mature in an urban intervention in which new rules of engagement are charted and a new tradition in the built environment begins. Therefore a gateway is a metaphor for the integration of public transport modes into a point of convergence at an urban movement node. It is also here at the threshold of this gateway, in and out of the city, that trade is best exploited and social engagements have the highest potential. It is not about erasing but rather reassembling a viable urban future, through learning from and working within the given conditions / XL2018

For a number of years residential and commercial development has grown surrounding railways stations in many cities across the United States. One of the trends that has occurred in a number of cities relates to positive property value correlations between real estate values near transit stations and transit-oriented development (TOD) sites as compared to their counterparts not located near a railway station or freeway access. Many cities have noted that homeowners are willing to pay more to be near a TOD site and being near a site can represent a statistically significant factor in determining where to purchase a property. In suburban markets with newer developments, the data was not as readily available. While the suburban area along the main population corridor of Northern Utah called The Wasatch Front has seen a lot of growth in TOD development, there really was not sufficient data on residential pricing to see if the same types of trends that held true in other areas of the United States held true along the Wasatch Front. This research analyzed multiple cities in multiple counties along the Wasatch Front that all featured development surrounding a TOD site. The purpose of the research was to determine how the price per square foot during a period of study in 2016 was higher for properties located near TOD sites compared to properties nearby freeway entrances or isolated from both. Three types of properties were analyzed in the study: Single-family homes, townhouses and condominiums. Another purpose of this study was to determine which factors were the most statistically significant in the purchases made by homebuyers during the period of study. Multiple statistical models were tested in order to determine the most significant variables in the study and just over eight hundred properties were tested. The research indicated in developing rapid transit cities like Salt Lake City and suburban areas, the value of car-free living and resident-dense cities is still emerging. Statistical results indicated certain factors and trends that can be helpful not only for local planners and developers but also to further the body of research on the development of these transit-oriented development sites in suburban areas around the United States.

Accessibility is the most important concept in transportation planning because it describes the ease of travel to opportunities vital for everyday needs. Theoretically, people locate closer to transit corridors if accessibility improves. One desired benefit from light rail is denser land use patterns in the form of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) that captures population growth. In October 1994, the City of Denver, CO, joined the list of American cities that have implemented light rail within the last 33 years. Since then, five corridors have opened there, and planners are retooling their zoning codes to allow TOD near light rail. The hope is to mitigate road-centric policies that enabled sprawl during the second half of the 20th Century. This thesis investigates light rail in the Denver region in the context of accessibility. It asks the following research question: What land use and transportation conditions must exist to encourage the general population to locate near light rail? Five linear regression models test a range of accessibility variables. Evidence suggests that accessibility to jobs and housing near station areas is important for facilitating population growth near light rail. Specifically, land use policy needs to allow residential and non-residential mixed uses near station areas for population growth to occur. It is too early to draw any definitive conclusions for the Denver region. Anecdotal evidence indicates that planners are achieving land use goals of growth, even though many of the region's TOD-supportive policies were recently adopted.