Monday, December 22, 2008

Transit Can't Do All the Work

Just because a place has transit doesn't automatically mean it's going to turn into TOD. Case in point in Dallas at the Parker Road Station. Transit can shape growth if all of the players and policies are setting the scene for the market to drive growth, but if that isn't there, we can't expect transit to do all the work.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe this would make a good case study. I'll make time to take Dart up to the Parker Road station next time I'm in Dallas, and report on what I see.

It doesn't sound like they have adopted form-based zoning, which is a minimum for an infill project like this one.

I was also interested in the comment that property owners were too balkanized. Developing good form-based code that the property owners are happy with might turn the balkanization into a virtue. You'd end with a better variety of uses and structures.

Richard Layman said...

It can't do all the work. It works when urban design and activity centers are in balance.

TCRP #128 -- Effects of TOD on Housing, Parking and Travel