Transit Oriented Development - Challenges and Proposed Regulatory Framework

By Vishnu P. Sudarsan & Tanvi Trivedi

Transit Oriented Development (TOD) complements the concept of new urbanism. Compact, mixed-use communities are the answer to suburban problems. Due to the dynamic nature and multiplicity of underlying features and definitions of TOD, no umbrella strategy works for all cities. Every city is different in nature and has a unique fingerprint, therefore, to make a successful strategy for TOD it is important to list out specific indicators or key components for measuring the TOD scope of a city.

TOD categorisation helps answer questions such as ‘‘what mixed uses of public transit will optimize effective mixed-use development and support efficiency under specific conditions (for example, in areas with different levels of density/population)’’ or ‘‘what densities and level of transit service are necessary”. These questions not only help design better TOD policies but also help in evaluating them against success or failure on set parameters. For example, while increased density has the potential to increase ridership, it may result in negative implications on the fronts of social equity and quality of living. As a result, a fine balance needs to be achieved between various factors for a successful TOD environment.