TOD 205: Families and Transit-Oriented Development: Creating Complete Communities for All. (2012). Center for Transit-Oriented Development.
While transit-oriented development (TOD) projects have generally appealed to “twenty-somethings,” empty nesters, and other households without children, communities are increasing interested in TOD that accommodates the needs of families with children. TOD 205: Families and Transit-Oriented Development: Creating Complete Communities for All, a best-practices guidebook created by The Center for Transit-Oriented Development, presents strategies for creating TOD that supports family-friendly communities and high-quality education. These synergistic components of TOD that accommodate families can attract new residents to transit-oriented development and help retain those families that already live there.
Families and Transit-Oriented Development documents the growing demand for family-friendly TOD and the potential benefits to communities when they attract families to TOD. It explores connections between TOD and families–such as the importance of mixed-uses and transit connectivity to bring family amenities and services to TOD neighborhoods–that can help draw families to TOD. Further TOD 205 describes steps and concrete actions communities can take to create TOD that supports family-friendly communities and high-quality education and provides examples of communities that have successfully achieved this synergy. Establishing the relationship between good education, family-friendly neighborhoods, and TOD is crucial as families make housing choices based on school quality and the availability of family amenities. These steps and subsequent actions can help communities attract families to TOD while supporting quality education.