The Rebranding of Urban Transit: A "TOD Summit" Lets Architects Rethink Rail

By Jack Skelley

Architects and urban planners agree: TODs—or Transit Oriented Developments—are the future of our cities. As land on the urban fringes is consumed by sprawl, creating hideous commutes and sour economies, a crucial solution is to bring transportation close to jobs and housing. What is also dawning on these experts, however, is that the TOD solution is not the most people-friendly concept. Fairly or not, it tends to connote noisy trains and cramped living.

James C. Auld, AIA, a partner with Altoon Partners LLP, is an architect leading the rethinking of TODs. He co-chairs the annual TOD Summit produced by ULI Los Angeles. (This year’s TOD summit is Thursday, June 6, at Metro Headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. Register here.) He describes how the TOD solution is evolving into “great places to live and play.”

Click to read more ...

Arts and TOD Project Mixes Generations, Incomes and Uses

Long Beach Senior Arts Colony – part of the multi-phase Long Beach + Anaheim development – has won Project of the Year from the 2010 Sage Awards. This “on the boards” complex combines a mixed-use, mixed-income, multigenerational community into a transit-oriented development (TOD) at Long Beach Boulevard and Anaheim Street. The versatile design – by Studio One Eleven – maximizes proximity to two major transit lines: the Blue Line light rail and Anaheim Street bus line (the most-used bus line in Long Beach). Enhancing its transit-intensive location are car-sharing, bike facilities, priority parking for hybrid cars, and a new bus/light-rail stop.

Click to read more ...

WIN a ticket to the TOD Summit June 4th!

Sign up as a member of FORMmag.net by this Thursday, 8 PM and you'll be automatically entered to win a ticket to the Transit-Oriented Development(TOD) Summit 2010!

Click on JOIN at http://www.FORMmag.net                

TOD Summit 2010 http://www.uli-la.org

TOD Summit 2010, June 4th

Image: An artist's conception of elevated "people-movers" envisioned for the Los Angeles Civic Center in the 1970s. Transportation in Los Angeles is at a pivotal point. We face a historic opportunity to rethink how we plan, fund, and build our future communities. To contribute to this conversation, the Urban Land Institute Los Angeles is initiating its premier Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Summit 2010 to engage public and private sector leaders to discuss pressing transportation and land use challenges. Register for the event here.

Friday, June 4, 2010
7:30 AM- 6:00 PM
Renaissance Hollywood Hotel

 
View Larger Map