Guidelines for transit-sensitive suburban land use design

This report provides guidelines for the planning and design of land use patterns that are sensitive to the needs of public transit. These guidelines are meant to create an efficient environment for future growth in suburban areas. The guidelines have been prepared from a market-based point of view. Design elements are proposed that directly address the success of development activities and transit services. The report discusses requirements for successful transit and provides design guidelines for land use, access systems and transit service types through a range of scales. Transit-sensitive land use design can be developed through the designation of Transit Corridor Districts (TCDs) which would separate transit- and auto- oriented land uses. Such areas would have a mix of land uses with higher densities located near a transit route. A high quality access system for pedestrians and bicyclists should be provided to permit easy connections between buildings and transit vehicles. Guidelines are developed for the overall administrative and policy issues, systems planning considerations and specific designs of individual districts where transit service is provided. Steps to implement the guidelines are also included. A prototype Transit Corridor District, based on the guidelines, is presented in the final section of this report. The proposed TCD illustrates how the guidelines can be applied at a specific location.