Building Better Communities With Transit

As Monica explains on this month's episode of Building Better Communities with Transit, the city decided to create new TOD zones that would better reflect the needs and context of different stations. In April of this year, Charlotte adopted updated TOD zoning and it couldn't have come at a better time. Development is picking up along the Blue line extension that opened last year and connects downtown Charlotte to the main campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. And planning for a new east-west light rail line is in the early stages.

This month on Building Better Communities with Transit we're joined by Maritza Pechin, a planner with AECOM who works with city staff in Richmond on long-range planning. On the podcast, Maritza talks about the Pulse and the broader bus network redesign that was rolled out at the same time. In a wide ranging conversation, Jeff Wood and Maritza discuss how the new system is bring people back to transit, how the city might tackle housing affordability, and what big ideas the city is considering for the future.

On the Building Better Communities with transit podcast this month, Kendra expands on her work with the MPC and Elevated Chicago to bring equitable TOD to rail and bus corridors around the region. She also talks about the original impact of the city's TOD ordinance and how the city can support entrepreneurs with strategic investments.

This month on Building Better Communities with Transit we chat with Colin Parent, Executive Director of Circulate San Diego, an advocacy organization that promotes public and active transportation in tandem with sustainable growth. As Colin notes, much of the renewed interest and support for transit and transit-oriented development is being driven by one thing: the housing crisis.

This month on Building Better Communities with Transit, we chat with Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender to learn more. Lisa, a planner by profession and now a two-term city councilor, chats about public participation in the planning process locally and the discussions that led to the passing of the city's comprehensive plan last December. She also talks about streets as public spaces and how Minneapolis 2040 plays into the city's vision for transportation, what 'value capture' and 'economic development' mean to members of the community, and how the TOD plans in the document play into the long-range plans of the city.

This month on Building Better Communities with Transit we are joined by Sean Northup, Deputy Director of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization. Sean chats about the Red Line bus rapid transit and how it connects some of the densest parts of the region. He also discusses the process for passing a tax increase to support better transit service and how transit oriented development is being approached in the region after the completion of a TOD Strategic Plan.  

This month on the Building Better Communities with Transit podcast we talk with Interim CEO of the Cleveland RTA Dr. Floun'say Caver and former CEO Joe Calabrese about the Euclid Avenue bus rapid transit line on its 10th anniversary. The line which connects two major regional employment centers was the product of input from numerous community stakeholders and has been deemed a success. We chat about how the line has influenced development on the corridor, the ridership growth on the line, and the potential for expanding lessons learned from the corridor to the rest of the region.

This month on Building Better Communities with Transit we chat with Professor Deborah Salon of Arizona State about location value capture. Deborah talks about the difference between location and land value capture and we go over the main points of a research study on the subject she wrote with several colleagues. We also chat about where location value capture shouldn't be used and whether certain mechanisms such as TIF take too much value for individual projects.

This month on Building Better Communities with Transit we're joined by Eric Singer and Andrej Micovic, Associates at Bilzin Sumberg in Miami. We chat about the creation of the Rapid Transit Zone (RTZ) ordinance in the 1970s and the updates that have been undertaken to consolidate permitting authority for projects near transit. We also chat about value capture, public private partnerships, and what's important in writing planning code.

This month on Building Better Communities with Transit we're joined by Bill Sirois, Senior Manager, Transit Oriented Communities with RTD in Denver. Bill chats about the success of the transit agency's TOD program, the construction of over 38,000 housing units near transit since 2005, and how they are looking to focus on existing assets when the current period of transit expansion comes to a close. We also chat about the Union Station project; how it was funded, the planning process, and successful execution.

This month on Building Better Communities with Transit we're chatting with Susan Henderson of PlaceMakers about the use and benefits of form-based codes. We talk about the focus of these codes, how they are used to support transit in corridors, and how codes can affect the streets around them. Susan also discusses why people might push back against form-based codes and how to frame conversations about them and the benefits they bring. 

This month on the Building Better Communities with Transit Podcast we talk with Stan Wall of HR&A Advisors. We talk about his previous work as the Director of Real Estate and Station Planning for WMATA in Washington DC such as how planning, funding and redevelopment at the NoMa transit station happened. Stan also talks about his favorite projects and what value capture actually means.

This week we're joined by Kansas City Streetcar Authority Executive Director Tom Gerend.  Tom discusses the process for building the streetcar between major destinations downtown and its potential for being the first segment of a larger regional system. He also talks about how the project was funded and the value that's been created for the system and local businesses. Finally we talk about potential expansion opportunities for the line. 

This week on Building Better Communities with transit, we're joined by Somerville Massachusetts Mayor Joseph Curtatone.  The Mayor talks about Somerville's proximity to Boston, it's amazing density and variable housing types, as well as the new MBTA Green Line extension being constructed in the city.  There's also a discussion of how the community works together to come up with plans for future transit oriented development and how the process is monitored and can be recreated for future use.  Finally the Mayor looks back at how the city has changed yet also stayed the same over his 14 years in office.

Podcast host Jeff Wood talks with Brian Reilly, former Economic Development Director in Buffalo, NY and Cleveland, OH and the Principal of the planning consultancy Doing Good, about integrating transportation and land use in Albuquerque. As Reilly explains, ART is just one project but it forms a frequent and reliable backbone for Albuquerque's entire transportation system. Today, the city is focused on redevelopment along the Central Avenue corridor where ART runs, part of the historic Route 66. Reilly also talks about how the city is approaching poverty reduction from a transportation angle.

Our host Jeff Wood talks with George Karayannis, vice president of CityNow, the smart city arm of Panasonic Corporation. George talks about smart cities, how to think beyond shiny new technology, and what it means for cities thinking about the future. Jeff and George also discuss what CityNow is working on at Peña Station Next—a new smart city concept on Denver RTD's A Line commuter rail that incorporates ideas such as district energy, smarter streetlights, and intelligent power management in buildings. George talks about how and why the station location was chosen for this innovative project.

For this first episode of Building Better Communities with Transit, Jeff Wood speaks with Breen Masciotra, transit-oriented development manager for the Port Authority of Allegheny County, PA, and Karina Ricks, director of the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure for the City of Pittsburgh. We discuss the challenges they face in Pittsburgh, including steep topography, new technologies, and pedestrian-hostile streets. You'll also hear about how they're making a more walkable and multi-modal city through new bus rapid transit projects, transit-oriented development initiatives, and "eco innovation districts."