This month on Building Better Communities with Transit we talk with Kendra Freeman, the director of community engagement for the regional Metropolitan Planning Council, about TOD in Chicago. A recent update to the city’s TOD policy puts a new focus on equitable development in a city that has seen stark differences in outcomes based on zip code.
In Chicago, TOD is seen as a positive influence with environmental, fiscal, and health benefits for everyone. Yet new development near transit doesn’t seem to be happening everywhere in Chicago, especially in neighborhoods with high poverty rates and a history of redlining and segregation on the South and West sides. Now, more advocates and organizations are starting to bring investment to these communities.
The Atlanta metropolitan region today faces a choice between regional prosperity and health shared by all residents or a continued legacy of racial disparities and inequity where prosperity is enjoyed by a select few. Opportunities are abundant. Interest in intown neighborhoods is surging. The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) recently expanded for the first … Continued
This month, we’re joined by Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone on Building Better Communities with Transit to learn about how the Green Line Extension is transforming the city by reconnecting it with high-capacity rail transit.
This paper explores why ETOD projects often get stuck in what is typically called the predevelopment phase. The researchers also make key recommendations for market feasibility assessments to be incorporated early in transit planning so that transit build-out can support development. In order to help regions avoid predevelopment pitfalls, the paper also proposes two new … Continued
This report provides information about funding mechanisms and strategies that communities can use to provide innovative financing options for TOD. It explains dozens of tools that provide traditional financing as well as new tools.
This report illustrates and assesses different approaches to supporting transit-oriented development, through six case studies of regional programs throughout the country. Through describing the structure, funding and implementation of these programs, the report provides a broad but detailed survey of strategies employed by regional organizations working in concert with local actors to support the balanced … Continued
This white paper was developed for Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. (Enterprise) and its regional and national stakeholders working to advance equitable transit-oriented development (TOD). It focuses on the potential role of metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in supporting equitable TOD through the use of federal transportation funds and other resources. A set of policy recommendations and … Continued
In 2010, Enterprise and Denver-area partners launched a first-of-its-kind fund to create and preserve affordable housing along current and future transit corridors in the City of Denver. As the region’s transit system extended beyond the City, the fund expanded to meet new demand. Today, the $24 million Denver Regional Transit-Oriented Development Fund is available to … Continued
The $50 million Fund provides financing for the development of affordable housing and other vital community services near transit lines throughout the Bay Area. Through the Fund, developers can access flexible, affordable capital to purchase or improve available property near transit lines for the development of affordable housing, retail space and other critical services, such … Continued