What is TFD?

Click  on Background to read some text from the publication called Transit-Focused Development, (TCRP Report #20), by Douglas Porter. It has been used as the starting point for this site.

One can read Peter Calthorpe's book entitled The Next American Metropolis to learn about his definitions and descriptions of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD). This concept is highly relevant to our objectives for this website, which is designed primarily to facilitate pedestrian and bicycle to/from an adjacent transit station. The diagram below shows Calthorpe's basic TOD layout, to be built within 2000 feet of a transit stop.

More information about this book can be found at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com or at the website provided by Calthorpe Associates, Urban Designers, Planners, Architects.

Some prefer to use the term "transit village" instead of TOD. The transit village concept is described in detail in the book by Robert Cervero entitled Transit Villages in the 21st Century.

One of the main criticisms of the TOD and TVconcepts is that that they are too small to make much of a difference (on a regional scale) even if a large number of them were to be built adjacent to rail transit stations. Responses to this problem include the Urban Oasis concept described in a book, by that name, by architect Roxanne Warren and the Extended TOD (E-TOD) concept devised by Jerry Schneider.

The Urban Oasis concept is similar to the TOD and Transit Village concepts except that it features higher densities with parking off-site. In order to allow abundant landscaping, the Oasis is offset from a nearby regional transit station but linked on a 24-hour basis by an automated peoplemover shuttle system.

The E-TOD concept builds on the TOD/TV and Oasis concepts and seeks to include a much larger service area for particular transit stations by greatly extending the area that can be served by the transit station. It calls for the use of various non-auto modes of travel that can make it possible for much larger numbers of people to reach a transit station within a few minutes without using an auto. Details on the SkyCar concept.

Both the Oasis and E-Tod concepts would employ an automated peoplemover technologies (and/or other non-auto modes) to make access to rail transit stations easily available to much large numbers of people. E-TOD also calls for these modes to provide "circulator" service as well as transit station access service. Details on the Cabinlift system

For example, a peoplemover system can provide a 5-minute ride to a transit station for people living 2.1 miles (11,000 feet) from a transit station, operating at a speed of only 25 mph. Use of this type of technology would greatly increase the number of people who would have easy and swift access to rail transit stations - far beyond the few who would live within the 2000 foot walking distance defined as the limit of the conventional TOD.

Such a technology can also provide a circulator service for trips within the local area, making it useful for a wide variety of trip purposes that would lead to a reduction in local auto trips. Many examples of suitable peoplemover technologies from around the world are described at the Innovative Transportation Technologies website.

Another idea that is compatible with both the Oasis and E-Tod concepts is the station car (or vehicle) concept put forth by Honda's Intelligent Vehicle Community System program. More information about this and other efforts to implement stations cars is provided by the National Station Car Consortium.

Last modified: April 20, 2002