About This Course
Transit-oriented development involves developing an individual building or planning an entire area around public transit infrastructure such as a Metra train station. Suburban TOD in particular involves the coordination of many aspects of land use including: community outreach, suburban renewal and walkable neighborhoods, economic development, and transportation planning.
Demand for TOD has grown significantly in recent years leading to more vibrant, livable, sustainable communities centered on transit including in many suburban communities. TODs enable a city to use market forces to increase densities near stations, where most services are located, thus creating more efficient subcenters and minimizing sprawl thereby enhancing the overall economic efficiency of a city; denser cities with less car use and more transit use spend a lower proportion of their gross regional product or wealth on passenger transportation.