Transit Oriented Development

This report presents the results of the first phase of a two phase research project undertaken by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to study travel characteristics of infill development in California’s metropolitan areas.

Strategies for Metropolitan Atlanta's Transportation and Air Quality aims to develop a framework for reducing auto dependence and vehicle emissions in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, while maintaining economic vitality . The data analysis from this study shows that in order for Atlanta to achieve their regional goals of clean air, decreased auto dependence, and a high quality of life, a land use plan to focus growth into existing and emerging urban centers was needed.

A survey of 31 multi-family housing complexes near rail stations in the San Francisco Bay Area and Portland, Oregon, show peak parking demand is 25-30 percent below supplies and, for most projects, falls below national standards.

This research helps confirm what had been intuitively obvious: in the four metropolitan areas studied, transit-oriented development (TOD) housing produced considerably less traffic than what is generated by conventional development.