THEME 1: PUTTING TRANSIT AT THE CENTRE OF COMMUNITIES

STRATEGIC DIRECTION

TRANSIT VISION 2040 — FROM VISION TO ACTION

TRANSIT VISION 2040 defines a future in which public transit maximizes its contribution to quality of

life with benefits that support a vibrant and equitable society, a complete and compact community

form, a dynamic and efficient economy, and a healthy natural environment.

1.3 Fully integrate transit with community planning

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Strategic Direction 1.3:

Fully integrate transit with community planning

PUTTING TRANSIT AT THE CENTRE OF COMMUNITIES

Transit and mobility plans should be systematically linked with a range of other

plans for community development. There is a special symbiotic relationship

between land use and transit plans through which each supports and shapes the

other—transit needs the right land use to function effectively and efficiently, and

developments need transit to maximize their value. Land use and transportation

plans need to address issues like transit-oriented development standards (e.g. mix,

density, design) in key nodes and corridors, pedestrian-supportive streetscaping,

and transit corridor protection requirements.

Transit’s role and needs should be considered within regional and municipal plans

for land use, environmental management, and social or economic development.

These transit considerations should be a key component of development approv-

als processes.

Cities and regions should work towards developing more compact

communities that transit can serve efficiently. Residential and

employment density should be concentrated in key nodes and

corridors to support frequent and efficient transit service.

A mix of transit-supportive land uses should be encouraged in close proximity to

transit stops and stations for convenience and improved access to local services

and amenities.

A range of housing options should be provided with special

emphasis on a high level of accessibility to transit.

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PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AND TARGETS

Indicator 1: Population Density

City- or Region-wide Density Targets:

Indicator 2: Transit Accessibility

Population and Employment Transit Accessibility Targets:

Major metropolitan areas By 2040, all residents and jobs will be located within 400m of a transit stop or station with

frequent service (minimum 8 departures per hour during peak periods)

Large cities By 2040, all residents and jobs will be located within 400m of a transit stop or station with

frequent service (minimum 8 departures per hour during peak periods)

Medium cities By 2040, all residents and jobs will be located within 400m of a transit stop or station with

frequent service (minimum 6 departures per hour during peak periods)

Small cities By 2040, all residents and jobs will be located within 400m of a transit stop or station with

frequent service (minimum 4 departures per hour during peak periods)

Small & rural communities By 2040, all residents and jobs will be located within 400m of a transit stop or station with

frequent service (minimum 2 departures per hour during peak periods)

Indicator 3: Transit Considerations in Development Decisions

Target for Consideration of Transit in Development Decisions:

All community groups By 2040, all Canadian municipalities and regions will ensure that all approved

development promotes transit use and transit service expansion to the greatest extent

possible. Transit considerations can be incorporated into a variety of planning policies

and documents, including:

Community Plan policies

Zoning By-laws

Site Plan Control processes

Plans of Subdivision

Community Group Average Population Density in 2010

(people per square kilometre)

2040 Population Density Target

(people per square kilometre)

Major metropolitan areas

(pop. 2 million or greater)

1307 1600

Large cities

(pop. 400,000 to 2 million)

1230 1600

Medium cities

(pop. 150,001 to 400,000)

1037 1400

Small cities

(pop. 50,000 to 150,000)

296 500

Small & rural communities

(pop. less than 50,000)

301 500

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INITIATIVES AND BEST PRACTICES

Community Plans of a variety of forms can be used to enact policies that direct compact and mixed use

development around transit stops and stations, reduce parking requirements where convenient transit options are

available, and develop new transit-supportive neighbourhoods to facilitate transit service expansion.

Strathcona, Alberta

Strathcona’s Transit Master Plan

was developed with extensive

public consultation. The Plan aims

to meet transportation needs

associated with community

growth over a ten-year period

from 2013 to 2023, addressing the

need to integrate transit with

land use planning. Subdivision

plans with diverse housing types

and densities, along with a

permeable active transportation

network, are encouraged.

Vancouver, British Columbia

The Vancouver Transportation Plan views transportation within

the broader context of community livability. It was first released

in 1997 after a series of public meetings. Although the City’s

population has been growing since its implementation, the Plan

does not allow for road capacity increases in Vancouver’s

Downtown; increased transportation demands are to be met

with transit and active modes.

Since the release of the Vancouver Transportation Plan, the

number of vehicle trips entering and leaving the City per capita

has decreased dramatically. From 1996 to 2006, when

population and employment growth led to a 23% overall

increase in trips to and from the City, the total number of

vehicles entering and leaving the City decreased by 10%.

Ottawa, Ontario

The link between transit and land use planning is

emphasized throughout the City of Ottawa’s Official

Plan (OP). Areas along the City’s rapid transit network

are designated Mixed Use Centres for their potential

for high densities and a mix of land uses. The OP sets

minimum employment targets for these lands, requires

the Zoning By-law to set maximum parking

requirements within 600m of rapid transit stations,

encourages shared parking among uses peaking dur-

ing different time periods, and encourages transit-

supportive land uses such as educational institutions,

hotels, hospitals, community centres, daycare centres,

offices, retail, and services. Development applications

within Mixed Used Centres and within 600m of existing

and proposed transit stations are to be evaluated

using criteria outlined in the OP.

Brantford, Ontario

The City of Brantford’s OP requires transit-supportive

community planning and design principles to be

incorporated into all development or redevelopment.

This includes incorporating transit stops into new

developments where necessary, bringing buildings

close to the street, and providing a “grid” street

pattern. The OP calls for development of pedestrian

pathways and transit stops that ensures a maximum

distance of 400m to transit, or a five-minute walk, is

maintained. Special provisions are included in the OP

for the intensification and connectivity of Brantford’s

downtown Major Transit Station area.

Waterloo, Ontario

Community Improvement Plans (CIPs) can address the unique development

potential and goals of specific land areas. In Ontario, under the Planning Act, an

approved CIP allows municipalities to pass by-laws to facilitate development or

redevelopment in the specified area. The Region of Waterloo Reurbanization

Community Improvement Plan (RRCIP) applies to the region’s 7,500-hectare area

along the Central Transit Corridor (CTC) and aims to direct new development into

these targeted areas. Goals and objectives of the RRCIP include providing transit

-supportive density, improving visual quality, revitalizing older and underutilized

areas, and providing opportunity to develop new rapid transit facilities. The

RRCIP outlines criteria for identifying priority sites for development or

redevelopment, such as “destination” sites or sites with adaptive reuse potential.

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INITIATIVES AND BEST PRACTICES

Calgary, Alberta

The City of Calgary’s Transit Oriented Development Policy Guidelines (TODPG)

guide how development should occur within 600m of an existing light rail tran-

sit (LRT) station or a bus rapid transit (BRT) station that will be converted into an

LRT station in the future. The TODPG clearly outlines six policy objectives:

1. Ensure transit-supportive uses

2. Increase density around transit stations

3. Create pedestrian-oriented design

4. Make each station area a “place”

5. Manage parking, bus, and vehicular

traffic

6. Plan in context with local communities

A Transit Oriented Development Frame-

work is currently being developed to re-

place the TODPG and will guide land use

and development around both LRT and

BRT stations.

With Calgary’s high growth rate, TOD has

become a planning priority as a mecha-

nism to reduce outward expansion or sprawl. A number of TOD projects have been

implemented in recent years. For example, the Chinook LRT station was surrounded by

low-density commercial and industrial developments until implementation of the

Chinook Station Area Plan began in 2008. This Plan aimed to guide higher density,

mixed use development with transit-supportive community design guidelines.

Zoning By-laws can be used as a policy tool to encourage transit-oriented development patterns. Zoning can be

adapted to allow for high densities, mixed use buildings, transit-supportive uses, and reduced parking requirements in

existing transit nodes and corridors. New compact and diverse neighbourhood centres can also be developed with the

strategic use of zoning to plan for future transit service expansion.

Transit Oriented Development

(TOD) Guidelines can be created

and made available to municipal and

regional staff, Council, local developers,

and community members to encourage

and guide development in a transit-

supportive manner. TOD involves

medium to high densities and a mix of

land uses in areas that are typically

within a five– to ten-minute walk of a

major transit stop or station. A number of

Canadian municipalities, including

Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, and

Ottawa, have released TOD guidelines

outlining how development around tran-

sit stations should occur. These guide-

lines allow for city-specific TOD strate-

gies to be implemented based on the

current transit system in place, commu-

nity needs, and future goals.

Chinook Station Area land use concept (bottom), as compared with a figure ground map prior to Chinook Station Area Plan implementation (top).

Montreal, Quebec

Montreal has recently used rezoning as a

tool to create several transit-oriented

developments around metro stations. The

car dealerships and parking lots comprising

the old industrial land surrounding the Namur

and de la Savane stations have been zoned

to allow for a mix of high density residential

buildings, transit-supportive commercial

uses, and a network of green spaces. The

redevelopment plans additionally include

the provision of affordable housing. New

condo units are quickly selling and bringing

thousands of new residents into the area.

The 2009 Master Plan for Namur/Jean-Talon Sector called for a change from large industrial buildings and wide streets (top images) to a vibrant, mixed use and pedestrian-oriented community with social housing provisions (bottom) in the Namur metro station area.

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INITIATIVES AND BEST PRACTICES

Setting Density Targets for Local Transit Hubs is a method that can be used by municipalities and regions to

work towards transit-supportive development patterns. A number of studies have been carried out to determine minimum

localized population and employment densities that are needed to support transit depending on the transit mode and

the frequency of service. Land use planning practices can aim to maximize the proportion of developed land that meets

these minimum densities.

Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), Ontario

The provincial transit agency Metrolinx launched the initiative The Big Move in 2008 to

guide regional transportation improvements over a 25-year period. As a part of The Big

Move, Metrolinx has released Mobility Hub Guidelines for the Greater Toronto and

Hamilton Area (2011). “Mobility Hubs” are identified as areas where two or more regional

transportation routes intersect and potential exists to achieve densities of at least 10,000

people and jobs within an 800-metre radius. A total of 51 Mobility Hubs have been

identified within the GTHA.

A major focus of the document is achieving transit-supportive land use densities and tran-

sit mode shares for mobility hubs. Metrolinx provides suggested population and em-

ployment densities to support various types of mobility hubs according to the pre-

dominant transit mode. These targets are provided in the excerpted table below. Al-

though these targets are directed towards maximizing transit ridership in a major met-

ropolitan area, similar principles can be applied within smaller communities.

Metrolinx’s initiatives to increase population and employment densities near transit work in conjunction with the 2006

Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, which guides intensification and covers the entire land area of the GTHA

and surrounding regions. The Growth Plan sets target population and employment densities for identified “Urban Growth

Centres” to achieve by 2031. A target of 400 people and jobs combined per hectare is set for heavily populated Urban

Growth Centres including Downtown Toronto, Etobicoke Centre, and Yonge-Eglinton Centre; areas such as Downtown

Hamilton, Mississauga City Centre, and Downtown Oshawa have a density target of 200 people and jobs per hectare;

smaller Urban Growth Centres including Downtown Barrie, Downtown Peterborough, and Downtown Brantford have a

target of 150 people and jobs per hectare by 2031. The Growth Plan aims to create vibrant, livable urban centres and

encourage the use of sustainable modes of transportation.

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COMMUNITY PLANNING CHECKLIST

Is the transit system taking every opportunity to engage in a leadership role with the

local planning department in the development of the Official Plan and Transportation

Master Plan?

Are all development applications being carefully reviewed by the transit system to

ensure that they facilitate and are supported effectively by transit?

Are seniors housing developments, institutions, and commercial centres consistently

being planned within close proximity to transit?

Has the transit system sought opportunity to provide the planning department with a

presentation on the benefits of more compact, better laid out communities for transit

services?

Is the transit system aware of recent work on the development of mobility hub

guidelines? Metrolinx’s Mobility Hub Guidelines for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton

Area are available at http://www.metrolinx.com/en/projectsandprograms/

mobilityhubs/mobility_hub_guidelines.aspx

Are by-laws in place to ensure that reduced levels of parking provision are required

for development within 600 metres of rapid transit stations?

This guide is one in a series designed to assist CUTA members with implementation of Transit Vision 2040 strategic directions

for which they are in a leadership role. It incorporates performance indicators used in annual reporting at a national level

to track progress towards 2040 targets. While CUTA is taking the lead for ten of these 27 strategic directions, the remaining

17 fall within the responsibility of other stakeholders, and these guides have been developed in order to provide support to

CUTA members and encourage progress toward the Vision. The guides summarize the goals and objectives of each

strategic direction, propose performance indicators and targets, illustrate best practices from transit systems across the

country and provide a checklist to assist members in reviewing their progress.