Rail: terms and application

New Urban News Technical Page by Andres Duany, Michael Morrissey, and Patrick Pinnell

TOD or transit-oriented development is a complex topic that can nevertheless be demystified.

In new urbanist parlance, the “transit” of TOD is often assumed to refer to rail. But rail is merely the most glamorous of various means, including buses, circulators, and even taxis, around which TOD land uses may be arranged. The term is better understood as including all sorts of transportation in which the vehicle is held corporately or in common and used for fee. This Technical Page will discuss rail transit components, and other means will receive subsequent discussion.