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The Metropolitan Transit Authority (“METRO”) of Harris County, Texas is pleased to announce a Request for Proposal (“RFP”) for transit-oriented development compatible with METRO’s proposed Cypress Park & Ride (“Cypress”). The purpose of the RFP is to seek proposals from qualified developers (“Proposer”) to develop, manage and operate transit oriented development in association with the Cypress Park & Ride.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority (“METRO”) of Harris County, Texas is announcing a Request for Qualifications (“RFQ”) for transit-oriented development of the Texas Medical Center Transit Center (“TMC Transit Center”). The purpose of the RFQ process is to establish a short list of 4-6 real estate development firms capable of successfully completing a transit-oriented development. Developers are invited to submit their qualifications to METRO for evaluation with the objective of being included on METRO’s preferred developer short list from which a development team may be selected to build a project at the TMC Transit Center within the next 1-2 years.

A study recently prepared for Caltrans (Travel Characteristics of Transit-Oriented Development in California 1 ) assesses the travel patterns of persons who live, work, shop, and recreate near suburban and infill rail transit stations throughout California. The study found that those who live in transit-oriented developments (TODs) have higher levels of transit use than persons in surrounding areas. The Gold Line, which began revenue operations in 2003 and has been accompanied by a boom in TOD, had not opened in time to be included in that study. This research extends that research to the Gold Line corridor. It examines travel behavior in station areas surrounding the light-rail transit line, which connects Los Angeles to Pasadena, and explores development and management issues along this new rail line.

Transit oriented development (TOD) has been hailed as an essential part of planning tomorrow’s communities because of the efficient use it makes of resources such as fossil fuel, arable land and public investment funds. The desirability of communities based on TOD principles will increase as fuel becomes scarcer and societies search for neighbourhood structures that encourage personal activity and social inter-action. This paper takes the values of this form of urban development as given, but then asks “How can TOD be achieved with greater efficiency and across wider economic models of urban growth?”

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) has increasingly moved from a planning theory to built projects. Over 100 TODs and an additional 100 joint development projects currently exist in the United States. Over the past two decades an important trend has been occurring with TOD as a growing number of communities have married Light Rail Transit (LRT) and TOD as part of an integrated strategy to revitalize American cities. Along the way LRT has evolved to become both
a people moving and a community building strategy. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has come to recognize that link in elevating land use as an important consideration for New Starts recommendations. With the competition for federal funding at an all time high, land use can make a difference in which projects are recommended for federal funding. Yet transit adjacent, not transit-oriented development remains the norm in most communities.

While Transit Oriented Development (TOD) has almost exclusively concerned rail based modes there has been a recent interest in bus related TOD with an emphasis on new bus rapid transit (BRT) developments in North/ South America and Australia. This paper takes a critical look at the strengths and weakness of bus based transit systems in relation to TOD through a review of the literature and an assessment of TOD related developments. The performance of BRT systems in relation to TOD are considered with specific reference to BRT systems in Australia. In addition TOD related to local suburban or ‘low order’ bus service is considered. The paper describes the general concept of TOD and how this relates to features of transit modes, outlines the literature relevant to bus based TOD and identifies the strengths and weakness of bus based transit systems in relation to TOD. It concludes by using the findings of the review to identify ways in which bus based TOD might be better planned and…

redevelopments of existing sites, have been included as a key component within a number of recent metropolitan strategies within Australia, including the South East Queensland regional plan. Responding to increasingly extended journeys-to-work and other trip movements, TODs are one land use planning intervention that creates the potential for populations to make shorter journeys and to make mode shifts away from the private motor car and towards walking, cycling and public transport. Whether TODs are led by private developers, development corporations or other entities, the majority will involve the design of a comprehensive structure plan to coordinate development of the site. The skill of designers and planners will ultimately determine how conducive to sustainable travel behaviour the end result is likely to be. Unfortunately, not all TOD designs will generate the desired outcomes and not all opportunities for travel behaviour improvements may be captured – reducing the…

MTC is conducting a “TOD Study” to address the transit oriented development opportunities in the Bay Area. This report looks at demographic characteristics of transit users to estimate the households and jobs with a preference for living/working near transit in the Bay Area, by 2030. It compares these estimates by county with ABAG Projections 2003 and the Smart Growth Vision.