Transit-Oriented Development

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is shown to be a process started by private operators in the building of urban railways and streetcars/trams in the mid-19th century, and followed by a planned process taking place in the mid-20th century with Copenhagen&s;s 1947 Finger Plan serving as a pioneering example of TOD implementation. Contemporary TOD has emerged as a widely adopted planning concept with global relevance, serving as an important way for improving urban sustainability both for urban regeneration and suburban expansion. Selective case studies from three global contexts (Global North, East, and South) are examined. Based on reviewing a number of implementation practices of TOD worldwide, we illustrate key principles of successful TOD from three interrelated dimensions, namely environmental, social, and spatial. The existing evidence leads us to highlight that making TOD happen requires planning support tools, institutional coordination, understanding the complexity of factors involved and learning from good international practice with due cautions. Meanwhile, several barriers to implementation of TOD are also identified. We argue that there are merits in establishing comprehensive instrumental benchmarks from good practices elsewhere. Yet, transferability needs to consider context-based variations and evolution with comparative perspectives. Ultimately, novelty from completely different contexts for inspiration can be a critical source for innovative adaptation and advancing our imagination.