Transit-Oriented Development Guide A Resource Manual for Designing Good Urbanism Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority | Austin, Texas “We’re excited to be influencing the growth happening here in Central Texas and we’re pleased to be contributing to the vibrancy of our community.” Linda Watson, Capital Metro’s President/CEO “Austin needs more mobility choices to encourage those that will to get out of their cars. We need better transit, bike and pedestrian options.” Steve Adler, Austin Mayor “Mobility is about access to opportunities and Austinites of every age and ability need safe, reliable options to get where they need to go.” Ann Kitchen, Austin City Council, District 5 “We need more ‘live here, work here’ multi-use development resulting in less vehicular traffic, a greater sense of community, and parks/ped-friendly facilities.” Participant, Imagine Austin Community Forum #1 “Year after year we see one theme that continues to resonate. Our growing communities and worsening traffic congestion in Texas are, in fact, very real, and they call for a variety of solutions.” Marc Williams, TxDOT Deputy Executive Director “I want to protect people that have been born and raised here.... Everybody is feeling the pangs of affordability. One of the great things about Austin is its diversity and all kinds of people. We can’t just be a city of wealthy folks, we have to be a mix.” Delia Garza, Austin City Council, District 2 TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT GUIDE | 1 TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT PURPOSE This document is a collection of best practices for creating transit-oriented developments (TOD) with bus and rail integration. As the Austin region continues to grow, there will be an increased demand for additional transit connections with pedestrian- friendly street design. Development plays a key role in making transit a success and, the more transit is considered in the design of a project early on, the more the development will benefit from its proximity to and integration with transit. TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT Transit-oriented development is a “type of community development that includes a mixture of housing, office, retail and/or other commercial development and amenities integrated into a walkable neighborhood and located within a half-mile of quality public transportation” (Reconnecting America). TOD features vibrant streetscapes, pedestrian-oriented built forms, and land use characteristics that make it convenient and safe to walk, cycle, and use public transit. TOD is not a building or a project; it’s a pattern of development: • Compact, relatively dense development. • Walking or biking distance from transit. • Safe, walkable, interconnected & lively. Components of TOD (source: ITDP) • A mix of uses - housing, jobs, services, shopping, entertainment, & education. • Strive for 24/7 land use mix. Rendering of Market Common-Clarendon in the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor (source: ARLnow) 2 | TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT GUIDE BENEFITS OF TOD the CDC encourages healthy community design “which TOD seeks to foster greater density than the community incorporates elements (such as transportation networks, average with a mix of uses, quality pedestrian environment, street designs, and zoning/land use policies) that work a defined center, and affordability. There are many social, synergistically to promote health and safety.” economic, and environmental benefits associated with For more information, see: www.cdc.gov/transportation/ and developing TOD. Some of these benefits include: www.cdc.gov/ obesity/downloads/Urban DesignPolicies.pdf • Reduced household driving and thus lowered regional congestion, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. APTA GUIDANCE The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) • Walkable communities that accommodate more healthy developed standards, guidelines, and best practices to and active lifestyles. articulate the value in the planning and design of transit • Increased transit ridership and fare revenue. facilities, and the streets and neighborhoods connected to those facilities, in order to create “transit-oriented” • Potential for added value created through increased and/or communities. These are places in which: sustained property values where transit investments have occurred. • Transit services contribute to making a “place,” are attractive and functional, and serve as community • Improved access to jobs and economic opportunity for destinations. low-income people and working families. • Access to transit balances the needs of all modes and • Expanded mobility choices that reduce dependence on users to support and encourage pedestrian, bicycle, and the automobile, reduce transportation costs and free up transit trips. household income for other purposes. • The neighborhoods around transit facilities support and Source: Reconnecting America encourage a vital mix of activities through existing and new development. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) • Transit corridors take advantage of the variety of nearby recognize the health benefits of TODs. In April 2010, neighborhoods and destinations to encourage a diversity it published “CDC Recommendations for Improving of places and access modes. Health through Transportation Policy.” Listed among its recommendations were expanding public transportation • The transit network connects users to key regionaI destinations and supports the economics health of the and “work[ing] with government and nongovernment region and its communities. organizations to develop and implement model transportation planning policies that encourage transit- oriented developments and other mixed-use development, and increase connectivity among neighborhoods and communities for all transportation modes.” Additionally, TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT GUIDE | 3 DEMOGRAPHIC AND DEVELOPMENT TRENDS • Compared to other generations, Millennials placed more Changing demographic patterns, market demand, and public importance on walkable communities, providing convenient taste support the development of walkable, mixed-use alternatives to driving, expanding public transportation, having transit close by, and developing communities where communities with transit access. As stated by the National more people do not have to drive long distances. Transit Institute: • Many people want to live in a more walkable neighborhood • Singles will soon be the new majority. than they do now. Overall, 25% currently live in a detached, • Older people will outnumber young people by mid-century. single-family home, but would prefer to live in an attached home in a neighborhood where they could walk to places & • Generation X and Y value sustainability and community living. have a shorter commute. • Growth in foreign-born population. • People who currently live in neighborhoods with lots of • Americans want more housing and transportation choices places to walk to nearby are more satisfied with the quality and are looking for convenience and affordability. of life in their community. • May 2009 - transit ridership reached 10.3 billion trips. • Some regions (e.g., Denver) are choosing to tax themselves to build transit, rather than wait for federal funding. • Market demand for housing near transit, including employment patterns and location, as well as State and Local government incentive programs and land use subsidies. Source: National Transit Institute, Transit-Oriented Development Participant Workbook, 2013 The 2015 Community Preference Survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors found that: • When choosing a new home, respondents want transportation choices. 85% said that sidewalks were important and 79% said that being within an easy walk of places was important. Riders boarding MetroRail at Crestview Station. (source: Capital Metro) 4 | TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT GUIDE AND WHEN MILLENIALS AREN’T WALKING... Millenials use public transportation more than any other generation (40%, compared to 28% for Gen-X, 19% for Baby Boomers, and 8% for the Silent Generation). When asked about government trasportation spending priorities, millenials showed more preference than other generations for: Expanding public transportation, including trains and buses Developing communities where more people do not have to 59% 53% drive long distances to work or shop Providing convenient alternatives to driving such as walking, Building more sidewalks 58% biking, and public transportation 49% Soure: National Association of Realtors GENERATIONS DEFINED BY AGE IN 2010 5000000 Teens Millennials GenX Boomers Silents Greatest 4500000 4000000 3500000 3000000 2500000 2000000 1500000 1000000 500000 0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 100 PRESENT AGE 13-17 18-29 30-45 46-64 65-82 83-100 1993- BIRTH YEAR 1997 1981-1992 1965-1980 1946-1964 1928-1945 Before 1928 SOURCE: Brand Amplitude, LLC based on data from US Census (Projected Population by Single Year of Age, released 2008 based on 2000 data). Age categories based on Pew research. TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT GUIDE | 5 DIVERSITY IN DESIGN & PLACEMAKING DIVERSITY IN DESIGN All TODs are not the same. Some are primarily residential, some are primarily commercial, some are urban in nature and some are town-center oriented. In order to design a successful TOD, the following elements should be included: • Include engaging, high-quality public spaces (e.g. small parks or plazas) as organizing features and gathering places for the neighborhood.