What is a Transit Metropolis?

 Transit metropolis is a region where a ‘workable

fit’ exists between transit services and urban
form
 Perhaps compact mixed use development well
suited to rail
 Perhaps flexible bus services well suited to
dispersed development
 Viewed as a paradigm for sustainable regional
development
 Types of Transit Metropolises

 Adaptive Cities- transit oriented cities that have

invested in rail systems to guide urban growth
and achieve larger societal objectives
 Such as preserving open space, producing
affordable housing in rail served communities
 All feature compact mixed use suburban
communities and new towns concentrated
around rail nodes
 Examples: Stockholm, Tokyo, Singapore and
Copenhagen
 Types of Transit Metropolises

 Adaptive Transit- places that have accepted

spread out low density patterns of growth
 Seek to appropriately adapt transit services and
new technologies to these environments
 Karlsruhe (dual track systems); Adelaide (track
guided buses) and Mexico City (small vehicle
entrepreneurial services)
 Types of Transit Metropolises

 Strong Core Cities- integrating transit and

urban development within a more
confined central city context
 Provide integrated tram services around
mixed traffic tram and light rail system
 Trams designed into streetscapes and
coexist with pedestrian and bicycle traffic
 Examples: Zurich and Melbourne
 Types of Transit Metropolises

 Hybrid: adaptive cities and adaptive transit

 Create workable balance between concentrating
development along main line transit corridors
and adapting transit to serve their spread out
suburbs and exurbs
 Munich-heavy rail trunk line services, light rail
and conventional bus services have
strengthened central city while also serving
suburban growth axes
 Forming the Transit Metropolis: Complementary
Demand Side Approaches

 Transportation Demand Management-

aims to make more efficient use of
transport resources already in place by
shifting demand (to carpools) or eliminate
trips (telecommuting); inefficient parking
space- more efficient management;
parking availability dissuades use of public
transit
 Forming the Transit Metropolis: Complementary
Demand Side Approaches

 Restraints on Automobile Use- ‘traffic

calming’ –local streets belong to residents-
barriers, etc
 Banning traffic from downtown areas
 License plate will determine when auto
can enter the CBD
 Forming the Transit Metropolis: Complementary
Demand Side Approaches

 Regulation of Auto Performance- improve

performance rather than attempt to
change travel behavior
 Re-engineer cars to improve fuel efficiency
(GM, etc and move to hybrid vehicles)
 Lower emissions- Clean Air Act
 Forming the Transit Metropolis: Complementary
Demand Side Approaches

 Setting the Right Prices- Proper pricing

eliminates the need for heavy handed controls
over car use and public intervention into private
land markets
 Congestion fees, carbon taxes and parking
surcharges
 Higher motoring fees –will people over time
move closer to jobs and transit stops to
economize on travel?
 Elitist view and unrealistic to charge more??
 Forming the Transit Metropolis: Complementary
Supply Side Approaches

 Advanced Technologies- GPS systems to

avoid congestion spots and eliminate need
to travel; smart roadways-automatically
adjust traffic signals
 Telecommunications- e-commerce and
virtual shopping
 Nonmotorized transport- bicycle facilities
and provisions