2018 Theses Master's

Approaches to Transit Oriented Development: How Existing Infrastructure can lend itself to implementation of Transit Oriented Development Techniques

Semeraro, Laura

Sprawl as the main development type in America has made communities disconnected and resulted in Americans spending large amounts of time in their cars. In response to this, many parts of the country have begun reviving their downtowns and improving transit accessibility, embracing transit-oriented development (TOD) as a method of doing so. TOD aims to provide connectivity, more sustainable living, and a better community environment through mixing uses, increasing density, and providing transit, though the aspect of providing transit is mostly centered around introducing rail. This research investigates potential for transit-oriented development in the State of New Jersey using a spatial multi-criteria analysis, focusing on characteristics of employment, population density, intersection density and land use, excluding the characteristic of transportation. This aims to identify areas that show how transit may not need to be the first step in introducing TOD, but rather can be worked toward as a goal of TOD. Results of this research indicate that other characteristics of TOD such as connectivity, land use, and density can be worked on in order to help municipalities get to a point where they can sustain transit, a sort of reverse approach not often discussed in policy around TOD. This research also supports the option of looking at transit options outside rail, specifically embracing TOD developed around bus transit options, which may be cheaper to implement considering the extensive existing network in Northern New Jersey.