Title

Planning and Policymaking for Transit-Oriented Development, Transit, and Active Transport in California Cities

Time

10:00am - 11:00am

Biographical Sketch

Elisa Barbour – Post-Doctoral Scholar, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis

Many state-level policies have been adopted in California that support transit-oriented development (TOD), or, in other words, development located near high-quality transit access. Many localities in California also support TOD goals, for reasons including downtown revitalization and accessibility improvements for residents. However, despite touted public and private benefits from TOD, localities face various obstacles in achieving it, including market, regulatory, financial, political, and institutional hurdles.

This presentation will discuss results from research gauging the perspectives of local planners on motivations, objectives, and perceived obstacles to TOD, and planning, policy, and financial strategies that cities are pursuing to support TOD. The analysis connects findings from an original survey of city planning directors in California conducted in 2019 with information on city characteristics, including built-environment variables such as transit availability and density, and also demographic, socioeconomic, and political factors. Using this approach, the research traces patterns of TOD policymaking by city type.

The research featured in this webinar was made possible through funding provided by Caltrans and the National Center for Sustainable Transportation.