Conventional suburb - Surrey · transportation and land use planning, as well as other ... i.e. ball fields • Urban ... • Alternative Development Scenarios

Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Primer 101

December 2004

“…the integration of transportation and land use planning, as well as other elements – such as market demands, environmental constraints, architecture and urban design, and community input – into a seamless planning process.”

Integrated Community DesignConventional suburb

Source: Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company

New urbanist neighborhood


December 2004

IBI Group TOD Framework


December 2004

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)

LRT TODsEncourages compact, mixed-use and pedestrian friendly neighbourhoods –containing housing, workplaces, shops, schools, parks and entertainment and civic facilities – centered around transit stations.

Individual TODs are typically laid out in circular or nodal arrangements –their edges defined by a 5 to 10 minute walk, or 400 to 800 metres, from the central transit stop.

TOD promotes the increased use of transit by generating and attractingridership. Rapid, rail-based transit corridors can become host to multipleTODs, spaced 1 to 2 kilometers apart.


December 2004

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) continued

BRT TODsSimilar to TOD, TSD involves compact, mixed-use neighbourhoods located around BRT or conventional bus transit stops.

Bus-based transit has less influence relative to rail-based transit in terms of attracting riders or developer interest – thus areas of compact, mixed-use development are smaller (200 metres of transit stops).

Given the closer spacing of transit stops (500 to 800 metres) relative to rail-based transit, compact, mixed-use growth tends to ‘blend together’ between stops – resulting in linear arrangements of this growth along transit corridors.


December 2004

TOD Guiding Principles

Primary:1. Interconnected Streets – the Grid

2. Compact Development – Higher Densities

3. Mixed Land Uses – Local Trips

4. Pedestrian Friendliness – Sidewalks, Crosswalks & Trails

5. Natural Open Space – Ecology

6. Public Realm – Civic Identity

7. Commercial Centre – Neighbourhood Good & Services

8. Transit Station/Stop – Convenient Access by all Modes

The list of TOD Guiding Principles is evolving due to the relative newness of the concept –and its evolution from theory to practice as TOD projects are built. Our TOD Checklist of planning considerations includes:

Secondary:9. Smaller City Blocks

10. Mixed-Use Building Types

11. Architectural Variety

12. Narrow & Calmed Streets

13. Street Facing Buildings

14. Relaxed Parking Standards

15. Bicycle Friendly Streets/Bicycle Parking

16. Market Acceptance


December 2004

1. Interconnected Streets

• Connecting streets and sidewalks toencourage walking rather than driving;

• Spreading local trips onto more streets;

• Creating better legibility regardingwayfinding;

• Encouraging infill development;

• Creating neighborhoods with morehuman scale and character – sense ofplace.

Traditional grid street and block patterns function well for allmodes of travel by:


December 2004

2. Compact Development

• Built within 5 to 10 minute walk of transit stations, or

• Approximate 1/4 to 1/2 mile in radius

• Development most dense nearest transit station, taperingoff to meet the scale of the existing neighborhood.

Buildings, too, are more compact:

• Commercial development, expressed as Floor Area Ratio(FAR)

• Housing expressed as Units Per Acre (UPA)

• Minimum residential net density of 30 units per acrerequired “to create critical mass” for TOD streets andpublic spaces.

TODs are more compact than their suburban counterparts to both provide a base of transit riders and allow less auto-dependency. TODs are:


December 2004

3. Mixed Land Uses

• Variety of Retail (food,convenience)

• Professional Services

• Public/Institutional

• Housing

• Employment

• Education

• Recreation/Leisure

A mix of diverse and complementary high-activity uses rather than segregating uses. This permits residents and workers to walk to work or to shop within the village, rather than forcing them to driveelsewhere. Mixed-uses land uses include:

Conventional suburban development

Traditional neighborhood development


December 2004

4. Pedestrian-Friendly Design

Pedestrian-scale environments that make walking a more attractive, preferable option to the automobile, can be achieved by the use of:

• Sidewalks that provide continuousconnections;

• Provision of street furniture – pedestrianscale street lights, banner arms, benchestrash receptacles

• Building designs that create safe andattractive streets

• Traffic calming – devices such as ‘curbouts’ on narrow street to create a feelingof pedestrian safety and comfort.

10-20’ Sidewalk


December 2004

5. Natural Open Space

Compact nature of TODs means there will be less private open space for each household or workplace, with more focus upon a variety of public open space types, such as:

• Major regional parks and lineargreenbelts

• Neighborhood parks thataccommodate active leisure, i.e. ballfields

• Urban plazas and pocket parks

• All park areas interconnected bywalkways/bikeways

Significant Tree Stand

Indigenous ShrubsTrail


December 2004

6. Transit Station/Stop

Beyond their prime function of travel to and from a community, TOD transit stations are looked upon as a center of community life. Additional services they can provide:

• Dispersing local communityinformation, both travel and nontravel related;

• Providing interior/exterior space forinformal socializing

• Displaying local public art

• Providing small-scale retailactivities, i.e. flower or coffeestand or newspaper kiosk adjacent to station entrances

Retail Retail

Town HallDayCareTransit

Stop


December 2004

7. Retail High Street

In addition to convenient transit service, the other key core component for TOD is the provision of convenient goods and services, preferably in a small Main Street configuration. Components should include:

• Pedestrian-scale shopping street

• Ground level retail on both sides of street-compression

• Continuous, unbroken, transparent retail activity

• Metered, parallel or angled on-street parking

• Additional parking below, above or behind retail

• Lively streetscape program – street lights,banners, benches

• Mixed-use building – residential above retail


December 2004

8. Public Realm / Civic Buildings

The concept of shared public uses has steadily moved from the public to the private realm and should be reintroduced. Public realm uses include:

• Libraries

• Churches

• Meeting halls

• Small urban parks and plazas

• Public art – and other examples of community thatshould be reintroduced

Civic buildings should be prominently placed and designed to convey a sense of permanence and pride.


December 2004

9. Smaller City Blocks

A highly connected street pattern with smaller blocks shortens walking distances between destinations in a TOD, while providing the opportunity for more street-facing buildings.

• Maximum block size for residentialcomponent is 3 acres within a TOD;7 acres in surrounding areas

• Maximum block size for employmentcomponent is 7 acres at all rail-basedTODs; 4 acres at bus-based central cityTODs; 7 acres at bus-based inner- andouter-suburban TOD locations

• (A 4-acre block is about 300 x 600 feet. A 7-acre block is about 500 x 600 feet. )

Note that these block sizes are maximums; smaller block sizes are always possible and are encouraged.

1000’ 1000’

750’

Auto-Scale Pedestrian-Scale


December 2004

10. Mixed-Use Building Types

Vertical integration of uses encourages more people to live downtown, ensuring evening and weekend use of community; provides valuable “eyes on the street”.

• Ground-floor retail

• Commercial, office or residential above

• Parking below, above or behind, but not in front onsurface lots

Mixed-use configurations include:


December 2004

11. Architectural Variety

As an antidote to the repetitive architecture of the suburbs, void of design detail, TOD promotes an architectural style that is more pedestrian-friendly, contains visual variation and features the following site and building design strategies:

• Compatible height, massing &style

• Attention to detail and materials

• At-grade ‘transparency’

• Street-facing front doors

• Lane-facing garages


December 2004

12. Narrow & Calmed Streets

Reduced street standards are key to TOD community design.

• Slow traffic travel speeds

• Minimize asphalt

• Reduce pedestrian travel distances

Traffic-calming considerations include:

• ‘Bulb outs’ at intersections

• ‘Pinching’ to one lane at center of street

• Material/height change at intersection

• Reduced lane widths for rear alleys

8’ Parking

9’-11’ travel Lanes

8’ Parking


December 2004

13. Street Facing Buildings

• ‘Street facing’ building with minimal setbacks, rather than interior courtyards

• Cafes, plazas and other seating areas at street corners

• Primary public entrance doors should face directly onto sidewalk

• Where possible, provide pedestrian weather protection, i.e. awnings or canopies, but avoidstreet front arcades

Buildings should be placed near streets, not behind parking areas, to better define the street environment. Consider:

PREFERRED ENCOURAGED DISCOURAGED

Pedestrian-oriented street


December 2004

14. Relaxed Parking Standards

The availability of convenient parking is a major detriment re: transit usage.

“As downtown parking supply per employee increases, the percentage of people choosing transit and walking/biking to travel downtowndecreases. Similarly, cities that provide more transit are typically cities that provide less downtown parking, allowing for ‘higher’ and ‘better use’ development downtown.”

Reduced parking standards work best when:• Downtown parking costs are high• Parking stalls can be ‘shared’, i.e. commercial parking by day,

residential parking by night• Core neighborhood goods & services can be easily accessed on

foot• Transit service is frequent and comfortable• Alternative programs exist, i.e. car co-ops

Consider parking maximum, not minimum, standards

Parking Structure

Transit Stop

Transit StopParking Lot


December 2004

15. Bicycle Friendly Streets

• Bike lanes along major arterial streets andlinear open spaces; connect to transit

• On local streets allow bicycles in same lanesas vehicles

• On high-traffic streets a separate bike lane ispreferable

• Educate re R-O-W conflicts between motoristsand cyclists

Geographic constraints, notwithstanding, TOD communities are bicycle friendly. They provide:

BikewayTransit Stop

Transit Stop


December 2004

16. Market Acceptance

Supporters of TOD believe that both buyers and renters will chose smaller, in-fill housing types over their suburban counterpart, especially when they are located near community amenities, including convenient access to rapid transit. Housing types include:

• Small Houses

• Row Houses

• Walk-up Apartments

• Loft Units

• Carriage Houses

• Live/work Units

While the number of developments delivered to date is relatively small, it would appear that the market is willing to pay up to a 10% premium for TOD housing over their suburban equivalent.


December 2004

Sustainability

Defined as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”, sustainability is at the heart of TOD initiatives. Initiatives include:

• Reduced street widths & parking standards

• More compact development sites/buildings

• ‘Green’ Architecture

• Non-polluting fuels

• TDMs

• Transit usage

• Walking and bicycling

• Co-generation plants

• Community recycling

• Locally base activities

ECONOMY

SOCIETY ECOLOGY


December 2004

TOD Planning Steps

• Market Analysis / Economic Feasibility

• Area Inventory

• Alternative Development Scenarios

• Community Input

• Preferred Alternative

• Community Feed-back

• Regulating Plan

• Planning & Design Guidelines

IBI Group conducts planning and analysis based upon the following project phases:


December 2004

Case Studies

I. Madison Centre, Burnaby BC

II. Newport Village, Port Moody BC

III. Arbutus Village, Vancouver BC


December 2004

I. Madison Centre

Location: Burnaby, BC (Brentwood)Developer: Appia Development Group

• High density, mixed-use infill within the Brentwood Municipal Town Centre (MTC), located within an easy 5 minute walk to the SkyTrain Millennium Line station.

• Composed of three high-rise residential towers, one mid-rise office tower, and a 100,000 square foot enclosed shopping mall – complete with Lougheed Highway frontage.

• Major anchor store, Save-On Foods, directly fronts Lougheed Highway, with parking situated underneath – an excellent example of an innovative urban design reconciling ‘big box’ with transit supportive development.

• Contains 450 units, providing a density of 100 units per acre, with dwellings fronting directly onto a ground-level ‘green’ or commons.

• Residential, commercial and employment densities provide excellent support for existing SkyTrain

Smart Growth Features

• Adjacent to SkyTrain

• Densities provide major augmentation of a planned transit supportive centre

• Resident needs can be fulfilled on-site, both employment and retail

• Choice of housing –either ground oriented or high-rise

• Compact design makes efficient use of existing infrastructure


December 2004

I. Madison Centre

LEGEND1) Buchanan Tower2) Buchanan Townhouses3) Buchanan Third Floor Roof

Garden4) Buchanan Lobby Entrance5) Entrance to Underground

Parking6) Entrance to Underground

Parking7) Entrance to Underground

Parking8) Madison Centre Park9) Eight Storey Office Building10) Buchanan West11) Buchanan North


December 2004

I. Madison Centre


December 2004

II. Newport Village

Location: Port Moody, BC

Smart Growth Features

• Adjacent to BRT line

• New ‘town centre’ complementing existing civic centre

• Housing located over shops, placing residents within easy reach of a wide range of services

• Compact design makes efficient use of existing infrastructure

Developer: Bosa Development Corporation

• New distinct ‘town centre’ providing a mix of high quality commercial and institutional uses with higher density residential housing – all within a pedestrian-oriented environment.

• Density of 66 units per acre provides the ‘critical mass’ of residents needed to support existing BRT (97 B-Line) and over 30 on-site retail shops.

• Combines underground and surface parking – allowing for ‘shared parking’ – where office parking becomes available during non-office hours.

• The City of Port Moody believes Newport Village is a ‘suburban success story,’ as the creation of a mixed-use ‘urban village’ which supports existing BRT transit, has a strong pedestrian orientation and excellent urban design quality.


December 2004

II. Newport Village


December 2004

II. Newport Village


December 2004

III. Arbutus Village

Location: Vancouver, BC

Smart Growth Features• Adjacent to BRT line

• High density infill project that ‘fits’ into an existing neighborhood

• Housing located over shops, placing residents within easy reach of a wide range of services

• Compact, walkable design makes efficient use of existing infrastructure and offers direct pedestrian access to transit, shopping and recreation

Developer: Concert Properties, Access Housing

• ‘Infill’ redevelopment of former brewery lands, involving high density residential housing, in a mid-rise built form that respects the character of the adjacent neighborhood.

• Compact design allows densities of 100 units per acre, within close walking distance of the Broadway BRT line (99 B-Line).

• ‘High Street’ on Arbutus Street composed of mixed-use buildings, involving ground floor retail with residential and office uses above.

• Street and block pattern is highly walkable, providing easy access to the BRT Line, the High Street and adjacent parks.

• Housing mix includes 53 non-market residences, complete with Vancouver’s first purpose-built daycare within a high density project.


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December 2004



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December 2004



December 2004


Conventional suburb - Surrey · transportation and land use planning, as well as other ... i.e. ball fields • Urban ... • Alternative Development Scenarios

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