Charlotte is booming. Since 2003, upwards of 12,000 new housing units have opened along the LYNX Blue line. But when planners went back to look at the development over the last decade, they weren’t entirely satisfied with the results. So the city decided to create new TOD zoning that would better reflect the needs and context of different stations as we hear on this month’s episode of Building Better Communities with Transit.
To look at how property values and taxes have changed within St. Paul around the construction and opening of the Green Line light rail, the Pioneer Press examined all properties within roughly two blocks of the line between 2012 to 2017. They found some mixed but interesting results.
Affordable housing that is largely “naturally occurring” (i.e. market rate) and single-family zoning that covers half of the land near proposed stations is sparking concerns on Portland’s potential Southwest Corridor light rail line.
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.
Many regions document projects along light rail lines to show how the infrastructure investments are changing land uses or population.
This week we’re looking at Buffalo, NY, where planners are currently considering different options for extending the city’s light rail line. Should new extensions go toward the jobs at Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, new development at Canalside, or economic development near Amherst? Leaders are factoring in the potential for TOD as they make their decision.
In 2007, the City of Charlotte, NC opened its Lynx light rail line and this week, the Charlotte Business Journal took a look at what’s happening along the line 10 years later. In short: increased development of offices and housing in the South End. So this week we’re featuring two items from TODresources.org that take a look at development along rail corridors, including in Charlotte.
Good urban design is essential if transit stations are to successfully connect to the communities that surround them. Increasingly, transit agencies are constructing light rail systems in and above freeway medians to reduce land acquisition costs, minimize traffic conflicts, and increase train speeds. Elevated stations, however, are difficult to physically link to surrounding communities, resulting … Continued
The implementation of new transit lines is some times dogged by concerns that such lines may increase crime rates in station neighborhoods. Affluent communities have often complained that transit lines transport crime to the suburbs. This study focuses on the Green Line transit system in Los Angeles and examines its effects on crime in the … Continued
The paper first summarizes the theoretical context with two theories that seek to explain the incidence of crime. Following this brief theoretical overview the paper presents empirical findings about the effect of the built environment on crime at transit stops and stations in Los Angeles, and ends with policy recommendations and suggestions for safer transit … Continued