HUD/FTA website boosts mixed-income transit-oriented development

Targeted toward planners

Steve Hawley, Apr 01, 10.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have unveiled a new website to help communities create mixed-income transit-oriented development (MITOD), according to Reconnecting America.

The article notes:

Jointly developed by Federal Transit Administration and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through a cooperative agreement with the Center for Transit-Oriented Development, the guide was created in response to request from the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations issued with the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008.” The guide is a major product of federal efforts to better coordinate transportation and housing programs to promote affordable housing near transit.

The guide’s multi-step process leads users through an analytical framework that assists them in identifying current issues, key opportunities, and appropriate strategies that could be addressed in regular planning processes or specific station area plans.

“The goal of this guide is to help communities start an inclusive mixed-income TOD planning process in their jurisdiction and help stakeholders be better equipped to know the right questions to ask, where they can find the answers, and what tools and strategies might be available to address their community needs,” said FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff.

According to the MITOD website, the guide is geared toward local planners but can be used by a wide variety of stakeholders and citizens. It notes that MITOD increases transit ridership, reduces congestion and pollution, and provides low-income residents with more opportunities.

HUD and FTA also teamed up with the Environmental Protection Agency last year to promote sustainable communities.

Mixed Income Transit-Oriented Development website