BETTERHOUSTON

PLANNING & POLICY

Inter-Modal Center.

 

Intermodal transport is essentially the movement of passengers by more than type of transportation.  An airport that has bus or light rail routes to and from a city is an intermodal transport hub. Intermodal transport is what makes modern global transportation possible. The key to intermodal transportation is the efficiency of transfer facilities. A passenger’s switch from one mode of transit to the next should be as quick and seamless as possible to maximize efficiency of their trip. If a passenger is forced to wait for a long period of time for a bus from the airport to their neighborhood, the use of the bus is no longer an attractive option; a travel faced with this scenario may likely choose to drive their own vehicle or take a taxi, further clogging the transportation grid.

 

TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT.

 

10 Best International Transit Cities


In major U.S. cities, large-scale urban development and redevelopment associated with rail transit is improving the tax base and expanding revenue, particularly in LRT and Streetcar Circulator corridors and districts. TOD in Special Districts has become  a primary economic development strategy. Good examples are Portland’s Downtown Streetcar, which has resulted in over $4.0 billion in new development, including over 10,000 housing units, within 2 blocks of the line. In Seattle, the 700 acre South Lake Union Streetcar District has resulted in almost $3.0 billion in mixed-use development since 2007. The resulting expansion of the tax-base has been a major source of new revenues for these and other cities, promoting transit-oriented-development. These new “green” districts and corridors, offer an exciting workplace and living choices, appealing to the creative class and hi-tech companies.  Rail transit and Transit-Oriented-Development (TOD) are essential to a walkable city, particularly in more dense urban areas. In Seattle and Portland, Light Rail combined with Streetcars and corridors of higher density mixed-use development have created a lot of street life, day and evening.  Dallas has about 15 walkable urban districts, which have attracted large-scale real estate investment. In contrast, Houston has only a few, such as the “Discovery Green” and the Midtown/West Gray areas.