Transit Oriented Development: An Approach to Sustainable development

Md. Musfiqur Rahman Bhuiya

Level: 3 Term: 1, DURP, BUET

NOGORSHOILLE VOLUME 5 An Annual Publication of URP Students Association of BUET (USAB) Department of Urban and Regional Planning Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

Transit Oriented Development: An Approach to Sustainable Development

Md. Musfiqur Rahman Bhuiya
Level: 3 Term: 1, DURP, BUET
Abstract: Rapid population growth has been a critical issue across the world. Increased population leads a city to numerous problems making it unsustainable by disrupting social environment and degrading ecology. Economy suffers from inflation, budget deficit and other financial dilemma as the demand is more than supply. TOD is a development strategy applied to build up a sustainable community with due consideration of social, economic and ecological aspect of sustainability. This study reveals how the design and policies of transit oriented development assists in attaining a sustainable development in spite of maintaining a high density. This article also describes how TOD can be applied for future expansion of Dhaka city.

Introduction: Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, has been experiencing ever growing population since 1971 after gaining independence. As all the developments are Dhaka centered its

which may pose an adverse effect in consequence. Increased population asks for more housing, road and streets, utility services and at one extreme it becomes undesirable and unbearable load on

government. All these facts are contributing to make Dhaka city unsustainable and will turn it into a dead city in near future. To avoid such circumstance, we have to control the expansion of geographical boundary of Dhaka city so that this growing can be mitigated. For future expansion, transit oriented high density satellite towns can be designed in suburban area to accommodate the growing population. Operational definition:

population has increased immensly. Dhaka is the only mega city of Bangladesh. As a megacity it was ranked at position 8 in year 2001 and it is projected to be in the second position in the year 2015 (UN World Urbanization Prospects 2001). With the increase in population area of Dhaka city is also expanding. To meet the demand of growing population, we are destroying our agricultural land, forest, wetland and flood plain and environmentally sensitive areas

Sustainability: Sustainability is a mean of developing civilization and human activity to meet the demand of human society in an economically feasible way without

public station is to reduce automobile dependency by encouraging public

transports. TOD concept is widely used in developed countries to resist urban sprawl by infill development in suburbs.TOD ranges from 50-100 hectares in size. A TOD contains residential houses, employment centre and retail shop clustering around the transit stop. TOD station is surrounded by relatively high density which gradually decreases outward from the centre.

hampering the biosphere and ecology. Sustainability means to achieve economic growth and development simultaneously in an eco-friendly way. According to UN Conference (WCED, 1987), Sustainable development means a development that meets the needs the of present of without future

compromising

ability

generation to meet their own need. Compact development: It is an urban planning concept of a planned development with relatively high density and mixed land use based on public transport system in a pedestrian friendly environment.
Fig 1: Transit Oriented Development layout

What is TOD? TOD in different cities: Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is a planned design process for a community which encourages compact, mixed use, pedestrian friendly environment where TOD has been applied in many cities of across the world, especially in USA and Canada. Toronto, Montreal, London, San Francisco and Vancouver are among many cities to follow TOD as a development policy. In San Francisco Bay Area, local and regional development has urged for transit oriented development to decrease traffic

development spreads out within quarter to half mile distance of a public transport station. It is also known as pedestrian pocket concept. The transit station may be a railway station, bus stop, metro station or a tram stop. The aim of designing a TOD around a

congestion, protect natural areas, promote public health and increase housing options. TOD has been incorporated in the regional planning of Queensland for year 2009-2031. London is adopting TOD to guide increasing development pressure by constructing high rise condo and retail community along some of the light rail station in sub-urban areas of the City. Surrounding heavy rail station development has emerged in Montreal. Equinox development in Toronto is an example of pedestrian oriented development centering a light rail station. Ottowa has removed urban sprawl in suburban areas using bus rapid transit oriented

in the planning area either horizontally (Fig 2) or vertically (Fig 3) in the different or same buildings. Residential areas are meant to mix different income groups and

household type. Housing and community facilities, educational centre, recreational facilities closed to transportation station create a balanced neighbourhood. There should be sufficient open space and greenery for recreation and preservation of

environmental quality.

development. In Guatemala City, transit oriented Fig 2: Horizontal mix up of land use Affordable housing: TOD incorporates inclusionary zoning to compel developers to make affordable housing for low and moderate TOD is also popular in Japan, Sweden, Hong Kong. income (LMI) people.

development has emerged centering an arterial road by constructing mixed use high rise buildings along the arterial road and building of low height to some distance from the arterial road.

Government can also pay subsidy in this regard. Density concentration: Highest density

Aspects of TOD: Mix land uses: Residential, employment, retail and service centers should be blended

houses and offices are located at close proximity from station for transit rider convenience. Intensity of development is retarded by reducing building height and

density for appropriate transition with increase in distance from station (Fig 4). Height of tall buildings can be set back in upper floor to allow sun-light reach the street (Fig 3).

movement and transit ridership. contrary, transit oriented

On the

development

discourages non-transit supportive land uses like warehousing, wholesale stores, low intensity industrial use as they are dependent on vehicles for transporting goods, require parking space and poses danger for

pedestrian movement. Multi-modal transportation system and access: TOD provides access to a full range of transport options. Although it decreases automobile ridership but encourages public transit i.e. rail and bus. TOD always incorporates bicycle routes along with
Fig 3: Vertical mix-up of land uses and stepping down at upper floors for tall building

walkalbe and pedestrian friendly pathway. Road network and pathway are designed to provide easy access to building. For this most often, grid pattern is used in TOD layout. Pedestrian oriented design: Pedestrian routes should be short, continuous and barrier free for a convenient and comfortable

Fig 4: Change in density with change of distance from station

movement.

Pedestrian

pathway

should

provide direct access to the station and lay almost at ground level with a minimal grade change. Important land uses must be located within 0.25-0.5 mile walking distance within the pedestrian route. Safety for the

Encouraging transit

supportive uses:

TOD encourages transit supportive land uses such as multi-dwelling affordable housing, offices, cultural institution, recreational activities, school, colleges, grocery shops etc. This land uses increase pedestrian

pedestrian is ensured by minimizing point of conflict between pedestrian pathway and

vehicular route by providing only a few driveway or parking lot crossings.

when different activities have different peak hours. For example, an office has its peak our in the morning and a restaurant has its peak hour in evening. So, they can be combined together to minimize demand of car parking space. Station area: Station area is designed as a place considering station as a destination by laying out the streets towards it. Transit station along with other significant buildings should be designed with attractive

Crosswalks should be cleared marked and visible for indicating pedestrian space. Land use attracting pedestrian such as retail shop, cafe, personal services should be located at ground floor to encourage people to use pedestrian way. Shading should be provided in the place where people will wait for transit and weather protection. Attractive landscape with trees, provision of benches for relaxation and legislative signs will create an efficient pedestrian zone. Car parking: With the decrease in transit ridership and mixture of various land uses and increased accessibility, requirement of parking space gets reduced. Setting up a maximum and minimum parking standard can optimize transit ridership. Parking lots should be provided at the periphery of station area within easy access of arterial road or rear of the building so that automobiles can not hamper pedestrian circulation. For implementing TOD, large surface lots are divided into smaller lots by landscaped walkway. TOD supports multistoried car parking more than surface parking as it requires less ground space. Shared parking is the most effective tool for reducing parking space in transit oriented development for mixed use development

streetscape to create landmark and assist in finding way. Public open space near the station provides the opportunity of waiting and drops off facility and acts as a place of community gathering. Benefits of TOD & Sustainable

development: Environmental benefits, reduced social and economic isolation has made TOD a sustainable development concept. TOD is applied for in-fill

development in suburban area. So, it is a mean of achieving compact development. Low and moderate income TOD housing ensures available supply of labour. Besides, TOD provides an efficient transportation system.

These two factors attract more investment on employment

falls in traffic jam. TOD ensures inter-generational

generation activity in the area and pave TOD the way for economic

equity. Reduced car parking space provides more spaces for affordable housing and providing more

revitalization. increases profit for the

development opportunity to meet present demand or for future

businessman and so the tax paid to government.Efficient communication system increases land value which increases local government revenue. So, government can easily regain money spent for development. So, TOD is an economically feasible planning procedure. It reduces household fuel cost

expansion. In the distant places from the TOD station density is kept low which also keeps a room for future development. Pollution is resisted and air quality is improved by implementation of TOD as emission of green house gases from automobiles gets reduced.

associated with heavy auto use. As all the necessary service and facilities are located within easily accessible walking distance,

Preservation of open spaces keeps the ecology sustainable. Pedestrian increases friendly social environment and

interaction

transportation cost of LMI people decreases. They can use this saved money for food, education and other necessity to gain a better living standard. This accelerates the

creates a community sense for achieving a sustainable community. Pure air and movement of pedestrian in walkways make people healthy and make their life sustainable. With reduction of parking space, urban water run-off also decreases. So, infiltration increases and ground water table is recharged and soil erosion decreases. All above stated benefits of TOD makes it a strategy of sustainable development.

process of attaining social equity. Rails and buses are more convenient mode of transportation than

automobile considering cost and service. Bus provides services to more people than an automobile at a time at very cheap rate and rail never

Conclusion: TOD is a best solution to cater to high density development with provision necessary services. Design criteria of TOD suggest the way towards a

city in order to control its population and all the problems related with it.

Government has decided to develop satellite towns of Dhaka. If these towns are not designed to be transit oriented, this initiative will become futile.

sustainable development in terms of affordability, social equity, economical feasibility and balanced ecology. To meet the increasing housing demand of Dhaka city, TOD can be a successful planning approach by the mean of provision of high density housing in suburbs of Dhaka city. There is no alternative of decentralization of Dhaka References:

Efficient commuter facility for the satellite towns will reduce the pressure on existing Dhaka city. Dhaka city will be separated from the towns by

maintaining a greenbelt which will incorporate forestry, agricultural land, playground, parks and other open space which increase environmental

sustainability.

1. The city of Calgarry land use planning and policy (2005), Transit Oriented Development Policy Guidelines, December 2005. 2. The city of Calgarry land use planning and policy (2004), Transit Oriented Development : Best Practices Handbook, The city of Calgarry land use planning and policy, January 2004, pp-2-4, 6-15. 3. Tranportation Research Board Washington D.C.(2008), TCRP Report 128: Effects of TOD on Housing, Parking and Travel, Washington D.C.,2008. 4. Brinkerhoff, Boroski et al. (February 2002),Special Report Parking and TOD :Challenges and Opportunities, California Department of Transpotation, pp-2, 13-14, 17-18 5. Dunphy,R.,Myerson,D.,Paulukiewitch,M., (2003) Ten principles for successful development Around Transit, Urban Land Institute, Washington D.C.,pp- 8-21. 6. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (2009), Transit Oriented Development Case Study: Equinox, Toronto, (Scarborough), Toronto,2009. 7. Breakthrough Technology Institute (2008), Bus Rapid Transit and Transit Oriented Development: Case Studied on Transit Oriented Development Around Bus Transit System in North America and Australia, Washington D.C., April 2009. 8. Equitable Development toolkit: Building Regional Equity: Transit Oriented Development, pp- 4-5,

URL: http://www.dialogue4health.org/pdfs/wf1/transit-oriented-policylink.pdf accessed on 03-08-2011 9. URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transit-oriented_development accessed on 03-08-2011 10. URL:http://www.calgary.ca/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_0_395_203_0_47/http %3B/content.calgary.ca/CCA/City+Hall/Business+Units/Land+Use+Planning+and+Polic y/Current+studies+and+ongoing+activities/Transit+oriented+development+tod/Transit+ Oriented+Development+.htm accessed on 04-08-2011 11. Mahmud. A., 2011, Dhaka Jebhabe Boro Hobe, pp-7, Bhobishoter Rajdhani on The Daily Prothom-alo dated 31 July, Dhaka. URL: http://www.eprothomalo.com/index.php?opt=view&page=1&date=2011-07-31#