Creating Great Neighborhoods: Density in Your Community
September 1, 2003|National Association of Realtors, Urban Land Institute
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Introduction
Increased traffic congestion, loss of open space, infrastructure costs, and a desire for more housing options have all made smart growth an increasingly powerful strategy for building and revitalizing communities, catalyzing economic development and protecting the environment.
Evidence of this trend is every-where. Of the 189 ballot initiatives in 2002 related to state and local conservation, 141 were approved. Elected in 2002, Massachusetts Republican Governor Mitt Romney, Michigan Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm and Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Ed Rendellare poised to make smart growth actions a high priority.
Smart growth projects nationwide were built in record numbers, continuing a five-year upward trend, reported “The New Urban News,” an industry publication that tracks new development. Cities and towns across the country are re-examining and changing comprehensive plans, zoning and other building regulations to make smart growth possible.
Many states…
Portland Streetcar: A Two-year Report Card. Critiques: How Are We Doing?
January 1, 2003|Transportation Research Circular E-C058: 9th National Light Rail Transit Conference
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Evaluates the Portland Streetcar after two years of service and presents ridership and service data and feedback on design features.
Assesing the impact of urban form measures in nonwork trip mode choice after controlling for demographic and level-of-service effects
January 1, 2003|TRB
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Introduction
The increasingly adverse effects of automobile use on traffic congestion and air pollution, combined with the limited financial ability to continually invest in transportation infrastructure, has led to the consideration of non-transportation strategies for managing and influencing travel demand. The paradigm shift toward non-transportation strategies to manage travel demand gained momentum, in particular, with the advent of the New Urbanism movement in the early 1990s (Duany and Plater-Zyberk, 1991). The New Urbanism movement is a manifestation of environmental determinism, wherein the urban planner’s role is to engineer and encourage socially-vibrant and environmentally-friendly modes of transportation such as walking and bicycling.
The consideration of non-transportation strategies to manage demand, spurred by the New Urbanism movement, has led to a burgeoning literature at the interface of land use and transportation. In particular, there have been several studies…
Statewide Transit-Oriented Development Study: Factors for Success in California
January 1, 2002|California Department of Transportation
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Provides a state-of-the-practice review of TOD and outlines strategies to encourage broader implementation
Parking and TOD: Challenges and Opportunities, Statewide Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Study: Factors for Succes in California Special Report
January 1, 2002|California Department of Transportation
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Introduction
This special report is intended to provide information to local jurisdictions, transit agencies, developers, financial institutions, and others as they develop and implement parking standards and programs for transit-oriented developments (TODs) in California. It provides an overview of available information regarding the extent to which parking for various types of land uses may be reduced in the vicinity of major transit stations1. It is one of a series of reports produced for the California Department of Transportation, Division of Mass Transportation’s Statewide Transit-Oriented Development Study. This report is not intended to be an exhaustive source of information on TOD parking issues; rather, it is meant as a starting point upon which additional information can and should be added. For some topics (e.g., shared parking, parking planning), guidebooks currently exist which can be referenced for more detailed information (see Sources section).
TOD offers…
Construction of Transit-Based Development, MTI Report 01-05
January 1, 2001|Mineta Transportation Institute
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This project reviews policies and legislative programs that can be adopted at all levels of government to encourage transit-based development. The focus of the study is on local government implementation because cities and counties have the land use responsibility of planning and zoning. The study also investigates how higher levels of government (regional, state, and federal) can encourage development through legislative powers and policy incentives. The study recommends additional land use, legislative, and fiscal powers that are needed by local jurisdictions so that they can carry out these incentives.
A Modern Streetcar for North America
January 1, 2000|Transportation Research Board
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The City of Portland, Oregon, is supplementing the existing Tri-Met Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) regional light rail system with a 2.5-mile streetcar line designed to serve the neighborhoods in the central city core. This application required a vehicle considerably different than the standard light rail vehicle (LRV) – one designed to operate exclusively on urban streets in mixed traffic. The operational requirements mandated a narrower vehicle capable of operating in 3 m wide traffic lanes with high adhesion for stopping and grades. The neighborhood requirements mandated a shorter vehicle which “fit the neighborhood
environment”. Cost constraints precluded the development of a new custom vehicle. The solution was importing an “off-the-shelf” European streetcar and upgrading it to meet United States safety standards, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, and passenger comfort. The selected streetcar
was manufactured in the Czech Republic using…
environment”. Cost constraints precluded the development of a new custom vehicle. The solution was importing an “off-the-shelf” European streetcar and upgrading it to meet United States safety standards, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, and passenger comfort. The selected streetcar
was manufactured in the Czech Republic using…
Shared Parking in the Portland Metropolitan Area
July 1, 1999
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Executive Summary
Shared parking is when two or more land uses share the same parking spaces. By taking into account different peak parking demands, shared parking areas reduce the total number of parking spaces required compared with simply adding together the parking requirements of each individual land use. The major benefit of shared parking is a reduction in the land devoted to parking, especially in the amount of paved surface, which preserves more land for green space or development density.
Metro authorized a study to identify the status of shared parking in the Portland metropolitan area. The study is designed to be a region specific resource for businesses, neighborhoods, developers, and jurisdictions to promote greater understanding and use of shared parking. Finally, the study creates model ordinance provisions and a shared use agreement that local governments can use when implementing shared parking as a growth management tool.
The study was comprised of several tasks:…
The Infill and Redevelopment Code Handbook
January 1, 1999|Oregon Transportation and Growth Management Program
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Efficient use of land is a key growth management objective for Oregon’s urban areas. This handbook offers strategies for encouraging more infill and redevelopment. (See sidebar for definitions.) In particular, it provides tools for removing barriers to infill and redevelopment in a community’s development codes. The step-by-step process in the handbook is intended for city planners, planning commissioners, and consultants who are involved in updating land use codes for their communities.
Light Rail Transit Impacts in Portland: The First Ten Years. Paper No. 990929
January 1, 1999|Transportation Research Board
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This paper examines how the first decade of light rail transit (LRT) in the Portland region has affected auto ownership, mode share, density, and property values. The empirical analysis provides evidence that light rail has had some positive effect of rail on single-family property values, transit use, and slower growth of two-plus car households in the outer part of the LRT corridor as compared to an outer part of a parallel bus corridor. These effects may be the result of households self-selecting to make housing location decisions where LRT is located, rather than current households changing mode. This assessment of the evidence indicates the extent to which consumer
preferences have responded to LRT investments. This kind of assessment is needed to provide the basis for estimating travel mode shares and market shares for dispersed and concentrated development forms. Examination of data suggests that it may be advisable for planners to entertain more modest expectations of…
preferences have responded to LRT investments. This kind of assessment is needed to provide the basis for estimating travel mode shares and market shares for dispersed and concentrated development forms. Examination of data suggests that it may be advisable for planners to entertain more modest expectations of…
