Land Use to Support Public Transit

Land use for public transit entails implementing new land development practices and managing existing land in order to¹:
– Improve conditions for a good public transportation operation
– Enable access to urban areas
– Encourage people to travel more by alternative modes of transportation (including biking and walking)
– Increase availability and accessibility to transportation

Public transportation modes, such as rail and bus stations, may act as a catalyst for more accessible land use by establishing pedestrian- and cyclist-oriented areas. This is usually accomplished by arranging the site and mix of land uses to accommodate public transportation. This approach can include multimodal connection planning such as treating existing rail stations and transit stations as nodal hubs for pedestrian, bicycle, micro-mobility and other active transportation modes. It also includes mixed-use development offering non-residential services and amenities in walking distance to home, work, school and transit. Compared to other areas, community members surrounding by this form of land use will travel less by personal vehicle, thereby reducing the health effects associated with vehicle overburden. Similarly, employees in such locations are more likely to use alternative modes of transportation to go to work and do lunchtime errands on foot or by bicycle. These variables may result in more significant public transportation commuting, increased non-motorized travel for non-commuting excursions (such as shopping and school visits), and decreased vehicle travel.²

How it Helps

Land use to support public transit promotes the successful use of transportation both economically and socially. Residents and employees may choose from a variety of mobility options, as well as access to daily requirements, commercial and recreational services, and essential destinations such as work and education. Creating connection and access between non-vehicular travel modes can encourage commuters to reduce vehicular travel and increase active, healthy transportation like walking and biking. Density and mixed-uses around transit hubs can also make pre-, post-work and lunch time errands more feasible by foot. These land use choices and expenditures promote transit use, compact development, and maximize interchange and activity inside bus stations and corridors.³ Decreased vehicle travel can lead to other community benefits like reduced traffic-related noise and air pollution.

Implementing

Process of Coordination:

Many stakeholders with diverse aims, constituencies, and timetables are involved in land use decisions. To establish mutual understanding, it’s critical to begin cooperating early on in this process. Both formal and informal communication may be used to achieve this.

Common Understanding:

Different stakeholders have their own terms and perspectives, which may make cooperation difficult. ‘Connectivity’ on a site level may relate to a single transit station, whilst at the municipal level it refers to a massive mobility network. Defining concepts and establishing common interests will help prevent misunderstandings.

Transit-friendly Community:

Having a transit-friendly neighborhood is maybe the most essential factor in connecting transit and land use. The agency’s work must be trusted by the government, corporations, and the general public. Partnering with MPOs or charities that can assist with education and outreach is one method to create a transit-friendly neighborhood.
Further, an agency’s ability to adjust land use to assist public transportation will be limited if it does not have a supporting board. If board members are reluctant to become engaged in land use problems, education might gradually persuade them to do so.

Dedicated Staff:

If an agency has committed staff members working on land use problems at least part-time, it is considerably more likely to succeed. This individual should be knowledgeable about the land use process and capable of communicating with parties such as developers and local authority. This will support effective land usage.

Examples

1) The Role of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs)

MPOs employ new and inventive methods to encourage and assist land use planning and include it into their transportation planning process. MPOs experience challenges collaborating with local governments and assisting them with land use, productivity expansion, and climate change. On the other hand, these debates are essential if mutually useful links between land use and transportation emerge.

https://www.transit.dot.gov/regulations-and-guidance/transportation-planning/metropolitan-planning-organization-mpo

2) VIA Metropolitan Transit Vision

VIA recognizes that when public transport is linked with adjacent land uses, activities, and people, the transport system will operate more effectively and economically. VIA supports this endeavor by developing transit-friendly land use rules and forming key collaborations. VIA looks for methods to improve current public transport while ensuring that areas around the nation get funds for transit projects. VIA created a transit-friendly land use vision and a set of objectives to guarantee that prospective treaties, strategies, and initiatives promote land development patterns that support VIA’s purpose.

https://www.viainfo.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/05-2014-Guide-to-Transit-Supportive-Land-Use-small.pdf