Maximising Transit Oriented Development Opportunities in Chicago Research conducted as part of Master of Urban Policy and Strategy, University of New South Wales Len Alzona, Ashleigh Gay, Laura Meyer, Luke Thompson, Hendry Wan * 20 November 2015 * Authors appear in alphabetical order Acknowledgement Prepared under the supervision of Professor Sue Holliday as part of Master of Urban Policy and Strategy (MUPS) at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. With support from Regional Transportation Authority (Jessica Hector-Hsu, Director Planning and Market Development, and administrative support from Tina Causby). Disclaimer This report has been prepared by students of the University of New South Wales. The report does not represent the views of the authors’ employers, Regional Transportation Authority or the University of New South Wales. Research for this report (including stakeholder engagement) was carried and the report prepared during the MUPS International Studio in Chicago, 6-20 November 2015. Cover image by Laura Meyer ii Table of Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 3 Aims, Objectives, Audience & Approach ............................................................................................... 4 Traditional TOD Overview ..................................................................................................................... 5 Predictors of TOD success ................................................................................................................. 6 Key Themes ........................................................................................................................................... 8 Governance ....................................................................................................................................... 8 Growth ............................................................................................................................................. 10 Transit Experience ........................................................................................................................... 12 Sustainable, Resilient and Vibrant Communities ............................................................................. 13 Case Study Insights .............................................................................................................................. 14 Forest Park ....................................................................................................................................... 14 West Chicago ................................................................................................................................... 15 Creating Successful TOD in Chicago ..................................................................................................... 16 International Best Practice Insights ..................................................................................................... 17 1. Governance Models ..................................................................................................................... 17 2. Strategic Vision ............................................................................................................................ 20 3. Measures to Improve Funding Allocation .................................................................................... 23 4. Smart Cities .................................................................................................................................. 26 5. Community Engagement ............................................................................................................. 28 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................... 30 Conclusions for RTA ............................................................................................................................. 34 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................................... 36 Appendix 1: RTA project brief .............................................................................................................. 39 Appendix 2: Stakeholders in Chicago consulted for project ................................................................ 40 Appendix 3: Sample question sets used for stakeholder engagement process .................................. 42 Appendix 4: Qualities of Resilient Cities .............................................................................................. 44 iii Executive Summary The RTA has a mandate to increase ridership across Chicago’s transit system. Having identified Transit Oriented Development (TOD) as a key tool for achieving this goal, the RTA engaged a group of students from the University of New South Wales Master of Urban Policy and Strategy program to explore best practice ways to increase infill development around low to middle income transit areas. Forest Park and West Chicago were two case studies to understand this challenge within the Chicago region. With the RTA’s end goal of increasing ridership in mind, a range of general themes emerged from this work. These themes include governance, growth, transit experience and sustainable, resilient and vibrant communities. One of the key ways to encourage infill development that emerged from this work is to ensure a level of existing community amenity is already in place prior to further development. This requirement for communities to be ‘TOD ready’ is particularly important within the Chicago region given fragmented governance structures, low population growth and stable economic conditions and a tight fiscal environment. These themes were informed by general research on TOD, a stakeholder engagement process and site visits. In addition to these general themes, a range of insights emerged from research on international best practice strategies, policies and tools to increase TOD in low to middle income areas. The insights include: • Governance models that highlight the importance of coordination and collaboration • Tools to develop a strategic vision referencing Newcastle City Future 2056 and a Plan for Growing Sydney • Maximising TOD potential through need based assessment and funding options as demonstrated by the TOD Guideline by Portland and UK City Deals • Smart City initiatives from Vancouver and Dallas • Community engagement tool, Better Block, to build vibrant communities Based on this research it became clear that there are a range of ways to increase ridership in addition to TOD. However, when focusing on TOD in low to medium income areas, effort should be focused on building vibrant communities in the vicinity of existing transit. The best way to increase the use of the transit system is to enhance communities in these areas, making them more resilient to change and becoming attractive places to live and work. These communities including the case studies of Forest Park and West Chicago can then become well placed to accommodate TOD in the future. This research has led to a number of recommendations for consideration by the RTA. Several of the recommendations presented in this report are not directly related to the RTA’s role. However, in the context of increasing ridership ideas should be done in partnership with CMAP and other agencies or the private sector. Key recommendations for policy development include: • Develop a multi-agency strategic vision for the Chicago region identifies future growth corridors and TOD priority areas Maximising TOD Opportunities in Chicago 1 • Undertake a regional needs assessment for TOD and develop a framework that highlights TOD priority areas spatially to direct and prioritise investment • Increase rigour around the assessment and allocation of resources and grants for communities by developing a policy that assesses projects against the TOD priority framework • Develop policies that can support increased funding for transit that include the use of tools such as business cases • Build partnerships and programs with other agencies and the private sector to combine resources for maximum benefit Short term initiatives to build community resilience and vibrancy: • Develop a mandate for change by using use best practice community engagement strategies • Understand customer experiences using transit to help direct service improvements • Potential ‘day in the life of a customer’ periodic event where RTA and three service boards meet to experience a lifecycle journey together across different areas and modes • Consider a program that brings local business facilitators into the communities to engage stakeholders to achieve short term success stories and to develop main street programs Recommendations for the two case studies of Forest Park and West Chicago: An analysis of the needs and opportunities for TOD in the Chicago region may determine that the case study locations of Forest Park and West Chicago are not ready for TOD at this stage nor are they the highest priority for allocation of RTA resources for TOD. However, this research has found that there are a number of opportunities to build on the strengths of these communities,