AARP Hearing Center
Stats and Facts
Infographic by Manjushree Majhi, AARP Research and Jana Lynott, AARP Public Policy Institute
The benefits of transit-oriented development span across the lifespan. TOD residents benefit from enhanced transportation and housing choices, greater access to jobs, cleaner air, healthier lifestyles and increased property values. A study of walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods in Northern Virginia found that people ages 75 and older took 20 percent more transit trips per week than their suburban counterparts. More striking was their share of trips by foot: 22 percent compared with 8 percent.
So Many Options
Photo licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Light-rail in Portland, Oregon, offers convenient transportation and is a catalyst for housing, retail, recreation and employment opportunities that benefit people of all ages. This image alone shows people getting around by using the light-rail, buses, cars, bicycles and their own two feet.
The Funding Can Be Complex
Photo by Jana Lynott
In the Twin Cities, MetroTransit's Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Funding Guide lists 24 regional funding sources, 16 state funding sources, 8 existing local programs, 12 potential local funding sources, 7 existing and potential public-private programs, and 4 potential federal opportunities. Three core capital programs of the U.S. Department of Transportation— New Starts/Small Starts, TIGER (now RAISE) and TIFIA — are used by many cities to pay for underlying transit infrastructure. Minneapolis (pictured) and Saint Paul tapped a variety of funding programs to build transit-oriented neighborhoods around light-rail lines.
A Trail That's Going Places
Photo by Jana Lynott
Neighborhoods adjacent to Atlanta's BeltLine walk-bike trail are connected to a 22-mile network of pathways and parks that are convenient to housing, workplaces, restaurants and shopping. Greenways and similar byways tend to attract more users when the trail segments connect green settings and areas that have a greater land-use mixture.
New Places to Dine — and Enjoy the Sunshine
Photo by Jana Lynott
The Atlanta BeltLine story illustrates the complexity as well as the benefits of building transit-oriented development. Numerous stakeholders — including government (local, regional, state and federal) as well as for-profit and nonprofit entities — are typically involved. As of mid-2017, nearly 100 real estate development projects had been completed or begun in the BeltLine planning area.
Walk and Talk
Photo by Jana Lynott
City agencies and nonprofit organizations encourage use of the BeltLine trail and parks system by programming arts and fitness activities. One event, the annual Lantern Parade — a glowing procession of light, music and color that illuminates the Eastside Trail on the first Saturday after Labor Day each year — draws participants of all ages outdoors and into the community.
