THE NEW EMPHASIS ON TRANSIT-BASED HOUSING THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES

In the past five years, the idea of utilizing rail transit stations as centers of development, particularly residential development, has attracted increasing attention from city planners and transit districts throughout the United States. The logic is compelling: data on transit ridership show significantly higher than average transit ridership among commuters who can walk to stations. Further, development at rail transit stations offers an important way out of the housing dilemma common to cities throughout the country: the desire for more housing production, paradoxically accompanied by opposition to greater housing densities in existing neighborhoods. This report summarizes the development of transit-based housing and mixed-use development on the following major transit lines serving major metropolitan areas in North America: San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART); San Diego Light Rail (San Diego County, California); Sacramento Light Rail (Sacramento County, California); Los Angeles Blue Line Light Rail (Los Angeles County); Washington, D.C. Metrorail; Portland, Oregon, Light Rail; Atlanta MARTA; Miami Metrorail; Boston's MBTA; and Vancouver SkyTrain. In each of these metropolitan areas, area planners have been able to use the siting of development near rail transit stations to avoid development and sprawl elsewhere. Put another way, the development around rail transit stations has been a safety valve to release growth pressures in established neighborhoods, while providing needed housing.