Transit Oriented Development From Both Sides of the Tracks: How the City is Promoting it and How Developers are Building it

The City of Calgary has experienced substantial population growth over the past eight years with an annual average growth rate of 2.4%, pushing the total population over one million. This increase in population has put more demand on public infrastructure, specifically roads and transit. In an effort to meet the mobility demands of Calgarians, and in turn reduce the dependency on vehicles, the City of Calgary is taking steps to improve the existing transit system. These improvements include extending current Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines, expanding the use of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), increasing existing train capacity from three cars to four and promoting development and transit use through Transit Oriented Development (TOD) planning and policies. This paper will look at how the City is working with developers to enhance transit station areas and what some developers are proposing given these opportunities. Three specific stages of the TOD process will be covered and include the following: the land use planning stage with the City; the TOD specific transportation impact assessment requirements using the City's new Mobility Assessment & Plan (MAP); and the successful proposal of TOD areas by developers.