Development

Stalled Out: How Empty Parking Spaces Diminish Neighborhood Affordability

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This report explores the relationship between unused parking and neighborhood affordability. Many cities, including Chicago, mandate the minimum number of parking spaces new developments need to build. As the report points out, however, these minimum requirements don’t always reflect real demand. It notes that apartment buildings near frequent transit (such as CTA trains) need less … Continued

Evaluating Public Transit As An Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction Strategy

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This report investigates the role public transit improvements can play in conserving energy and reducing emissions. Critics argue that transit is an inefficient strategy since on average it uses almost as much energy per passenger-mile as driving, and more than some commercially available cars. However, this reflects the inefficiency of public transit services intended to … Continued

Evaluating Public Transportation Health Benefits

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This report investigates ways that public transportation affects human health, and ways to incorporate these impacts into transport policy and planning decisions. This research indicates that public transit improvements and more transit oriented development can provide large but often overlooked health benefits. People who live or work in communities with high quality public transport tend … Continued

Tools for Mixed-Income TOD

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This paper describes and evaluates tools and strategies that are being used to create mixed-income and affordable housing near transit in regions around the U.S. The first half of the paper explains how these various strategies are being used and the limitations and successes of each, and the second half discusses best practices and provides … Continued

Mixed-Income Housing TOD Action Guide

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This guide was developed to ensure TOD planning processes result in neighborhoods that include households of all income levels. The guide “walks” users through a three-step analysis to determine the most effective strategies and tools. The first step involves collecting data on the community’s demographics and economic and physical conditions (an inventory of the housing … Continued

Rails to Real Estate: Development Patterns Along Three New Transit Lines

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This report documents real estate development patterns along three recently constructed light rail transit lines in the United States: 1) Hiawatha Line (Minneapolis-St. Paul), 2) Southeast Corridor (Denver), 3) Blue Line (Charlotte). This topic is important for local planning practitioners, transit agencies, community members and other stakeholders in their efforts to plan for new transit … Continued

National TOD Database

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The National TOD Database a tool for planners, developers, government officials, and academics, the Database provides economic and demographic information for every existing and proposed fixed guideway transit station in the U.S. The Database includes 4,417 existing stations and 1,583 proposed stations in 54 metropolitan areas, as of December 2011 Data are available at three … Continued

Destinations Matter: Building Transit Success

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This paper analyzes the performance of 19 transit lines to better understand the factors contributing to high ridership. Of the 19 lines examined, seven exceeded projections, eight are on track to beat projections, and two did not meet projections, while data for three was unavailable. The conclusion: that connecting destinations is key, and that the … Continued