Full Speed Ahead

a key concern for developers interested in TOD. He says it’s easier for a developer to gain public financing to develop a green field, due to the zoning and land use concerns that must be addressed in TODs. “In a lot of cases, TIFs and local improvement districts are necessary to make TODs work,” he says.Such disparate considerations as parking garages, security and ventilation force developers to plan more thoughtfully in TODs than they would elsewhere, Kaiser adds. For instance, parking garages must be designed and situated to allow for the greater degree of shared parking TODs require. Due to security concerns, scrutiny must be devoted to the judicious segregation of public and private spaces, which are mixed to a far greater extent in TODs. And, Kaiser says, “if retail and restaurants aren’t vented properly, and you have residences above, that can be a problem. Delivery service entrances to retail and restaurants need to be very well thought out.”A final essential ingredient for well-conceived TODs? Kaiser and Ryan agree: flexibility. In planning TODs, planners and developers have to resist suggestions by some agencies that they should guess what will be needed in 10 years.Says Ryan: “A stronger urban design framework, with pedestrian connections, public space, urban open space, landscape and more that allows for flexibility of future uses…. is a better formula for long-term TOD success.”To comment, e-mail [email protected].