Wednesday, March 11, 2009

About Transit Oriented Design

When the committee first came together, we spent a lot of time researching transit oriented design before we settled on undertaking a case study. The below are some transit oriented design principles:

  • Provide a convenient mix of uses with compact building design
  • Design small-scale for a pedestrian-friendly aesthetic
  • Preserve and create open/public spaces
  • Incorporate a variety of transportation options
  • Connect to transport hubs
  • Retrofit existing spaces
  • Include community collaboration in design
  • Ensure open, fair and predictable development decisions

We also looked at the benefits of transit oriented design - after all, why propose it if it did not positively affect communities? Some of the benefits are below:

  • Reduces traffic
  • Leads to reduced transportation costs in terms of time and money
  • Reduces CO2 emissions and our dependence on imported oil
  • Increases sense of community
  • Reduces childhood obesity, hypertension and heart attacks
  • Increases accessibility of amenities for young and elderly, reduces isolation of elderly

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