Transit Oriented Development: An Appraisal of Trends and Opportunities for Latin America

In recent years, Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is increasingly accepted  due  to  its  great  potential  for leading  cities  towards  more  sustainable futures. This f ruitful coordination between a city’s investments in mass transit and its land  development  strategy  has  enabled better    accessibility,  increased  walkability and  mixed  land  use  around  transit  areas. This   technical note   reviews   TOD   at several  scales  in  order  to  comprehend the  trends,  opportunities  and  challenges for its development and implementation, with  a  focus  on  yielding  lessons  for  Latin America.  First,  the  document  discusses the global experience with TODs, including  its  characteristics  and  impacts such  as    traveler  behavior,  ridership,  and environmental bene fi ts, as well as areas for improvement.  The  identi fi ed  challenges include controversy around the de fi nition of  TOD  itself;  possible  displacement  of vulnerable    residents    and    commercial tenants;  the  timing  of  development;  the absence   of   legal   f ramework   to   enable TOD  regulations  and  tools;  the  effective use  of  incentives  and  land  value  capture; and the unintentional push to sprawl. The review is followed by four case studies highlighting    innovative    responses    to some   of   the   discussed   conflicts;   these are   Seoul,   Bogotá,   Vancouver,   and   a multi-city   approach   for   assessing   TOD market    readiness.    Some    cases    were successful,  while  others  revealed  missed opportunities.   Finally,   having   identi fi ed key  attributes  of  the  successful  TODs  – and   successful   approaches   to   achieve TOD-,     the     technical     note     provides eight    recommendations    for    effective TOD  implementation  targeted  at  Latin American cities. Even    though    challenges    remain,    the evidence   reviewed   suggests   that   the coordination  of  land  development  and transportation  should  be  combined  with the   coordination   of   public   and   private institutional  leadership  in  the  effort  to achieve a sustainable city.