Reasons for Living in a Transit-Oriented Development, and Associated Transit Use

Cities and regions throughout the U.S. are promoting transit-oriented development (TOD) near rail stations to increase both transit use and the number and range of housing opportunities. This paper reports the results of a survey of households who moved to TODs within the last 5 years, finding a wide range of motivations. Only about one-third of respondents reported access to transit as one of the top three reasons for choosing to live in a TOD. They were equally or more likely to cite lower housing cost or the quality of the neighborhood. Those who reported that their choice of residence location was motivated in part by access to transit were more likely to use transit than those who did not.