Transit-oriented development (TOD)

What it is

Transit-oriented development concentrates compact, walkable, mixed-use building within a short walk of a transit station, so that homes, jobs and shops cluster where frequent rail or bus service is available. The term and its design principles were set out by the architect Peter Calthorpe, notably in his 1993 book The Next American Metropolis, as an antidote to car-dependent sprawl. Each node mixes uses and densities around the stop and tapers down toward its edge.

Why it matters

TOD reverses the postwar logic of building around the car by building around transit instead, cutting driving and supporting public transport ridership. It has become a leading organising principle for sustainable urban growth in planning policy worldwide.

Plans it shaped

• Vällingby ABC-town (1950s)
• Toronto 1966 Metropolitan Plan (1966)
• San Francisco Transit-First & Better Market Street (1973/2012)
• Portland UGB + Metro 2040 (1979/1995)
• Arlington County Rosslyn–Ballston Corridor Plan (1980s–)
• Seoul New Towns (Bundang, Ilsan, etc.) (1990s)
• Wuhan Optics Valley (1990s–)
• Lille Euralille 1 & 2 (1990s–2000s)
• Turin Lingotto & Spina 3/4 Redevelopment (1990s–)
• Zurich Richtplan + S-Bahn (1990–)
• Paris Rive Gauche (PRG) – 13e Arrondissement (1991)
• Vancouver ‘Living First’ (Central Area) (1991)