Ontario Urban Form Case Studies
February 25, 2013
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The Ontario Growth Secretariat has completed two new case studies of completed projects that illustrate key policies in the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The case studies are King Street Reconstruction in Kitchener and Artscape Wychwood Barns in Toronto. These projects were selected because they:
Cautionary Lessons in Planning Transit-Oriented Development: Avoiding Gentrification and Displacement
November 8, 2010
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A recent report from the Dukakis Center for Urban & Regional Policy at Northeastern University provides new insight into the debate over whether transit-oriented development (TOD) leads to gentrification and displacement. The report (available in PDF format here) has generated significant media interest because one of its primary findings is that the opening of a new transit station often leads to higher rents, increased home values, and increased rates of auto ownership, and thus primarily benefits wealthier households who are not as reliant on transit and do not utilize it as frequently. The authors note that this is a troubling trend, but caution that there is no cause-and-effect relationship between TOD and…
Streetcars And The Built Environment
September 23, 2010
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The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies has released a new report exploring the impact of streetcars on the built environment.
Weaving Together Vibrant Communities Through Transit-Oriented Development
August 27, 2010
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Allison Brooks, Reconnecting America's chief of staff, has an article on transit-oriented development in the summer issue of San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank's online publication, Community Investments.
Getting to Work: Improving Job Accessibility for Disabled Workers
August 12, 2010
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Providing accessible, convenient transportation options for people with disabilities can be challenging, especially when they limit employment opportunities. The Center for Workers with Disabilities has prepared a report, Getting to Work: A Case Study Report on Accessible Transportation Projects, profiling the efforts of four states to improve job accessibility for disabled workers. The states of Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New Jersey have used funding from Medicare Infrastructure Grants to identify service needs and gaps and bring together various transportation agencies to discuss how to improve job accessibility. In Illinois, the grant funded employer summits around the state, and local Chambers of Commerce are now establishing best practices for attracting and assisting disabled workers. In New Jersey,…
Bus Rapid Transit: The Incremental Answer
June 29, 2010
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The Mineta Transportation Institute has released a study of bus rapid tranist as practiced in California, Oregon and Ontario. The prime element identified in "From Buses to BRT: Case Studies of Incremental BRT Projects in North America" is the flexible nature of the beast.
Framing The Gas Tax Question
May 21, 2010
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Traditionally, America's transportation system has been paid for by gasoline taxes, but those taxes have not kept pace with increases in costs or the growth of vehicle miles traveled. The result the national Highway Trust Fund, which gets 90 percent of its funds from gasoline taxes, faces a deficit of as much as $2.3 trillion in the next 25 years.
Costs And Impacts Of TOD
March 10, 2010
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A report from the Southwest Region University Transportation Center at Texas Southern University in Houston explored the costs and impacts of Transit Oriented Development and addresses the rationale for designing transit-oriented neighborhoods.
The 2009 report, "Moving Toward Implementation: An Examination Of The Organizational And Political Structures Of Transit-Oriented Development," adds to the vast body of knowledge about TOD providing case studies of several sites around the United States
"While each transit designed community reviewed was different in design and basic components, they shared the central theme to encourage transit use, reduce dependency on automobiles and create more livable communities by better designing neighborhoods," the report noted.
As the report notes, TOD communities each have distinctive characteristics, as well as commonalities. But size…
The 2009 report, "Moving Toward Implementation: An Examination Of The Organizational And Political Structures Of Transit-Oriented Development," adds to the vast body of knowledge about TOD providing case studies of several sites around the United States
"While each transit designed community reviewed was different in design and basic components, they shared the central theme to encourage transit use, reduce dependency on automobiles and create more livable communities by better designing neighborhoods," the report noted.
As the report notes, TOD communities each have distinctive characteristics, as well as commonalities. But size…
Mitigating Light Rail Construction Impact
December 18, 2009
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Construction of a new light rail line can be destructive of the local economy, hurting businesses as work on the line disrupts power, blocks access to stores and eliminates parking. Several cities have developed successful mitigation programs over the years to help these businesses survive the hardship during construction and then thrive once the line opens.
Urban Form Case Studies
December 2, 2009
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The Ontario Growth Secretariat's Places To Grow has released a package of Urban Form Case Studies that examine recent projects that illustrate key policies in the Canadian province's growth plan.
According to the secretariat's web site, these projects illustrate density targets established in the growth plan support nearby transit, encourage walking, and are mixed use demonstrate high quality urban design and built form are highly marketable, economically successful, and award-winning are in climate zones similar to the Ontario's Greater Golden Horseshoe The nine case studies have been divided into four categories: Residential and mixed-use projects with more than 150 residents and jobs per hectare; residential and mixed-use with 50 to 150 residents and jobs per hectare; employment lands; and intensification corridors.
According to the secretariat's web site, these projects illustrate density targets established in the growth plan support nearby transit, encourage walking, and are mixed use demonstrate high quality urban design and built form are highly marketable, economically successful, and award-winning are in climate zones similar to the Ontario's Greater Golden Horseshoe The nine case studies have been divided into four categories: Residential and mixed-use projects with more than 150 residents and jobs per hectare; residential and mixed-use with 50 to 150 residents and jobs per hectare; employment lands; and intensification corridors.
