Transit Oriented Development, Explained
City Beautiful・10 minutes read
Orenco Station in Portland is a successful transit-oriented development with walkable streets and mixed-use buildings, attracting residents for its upscale and convenient character. The development generates half the expected car trips of a typical suburb, showcasing the effectiveness of its design in promoting transit use and reducing reliance on cars.
Insights
- Orenco Station in the Portland metropolitan area stands out as an early and successful example of a transit-oriented development, featuring walkable streets, mixed land uses, and New Urbanist design principles that attract residents seeking upscale, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods.
- The success of Orenco Station in reducing car trips and parking needs highlights the importance of design choices in transit-oriented developments, emphasizing the potential for such developments to effectively promote transit ridership and lessen reliance on cars, urging cities to prioritize dense development, regional employment, smaller housing units, and robust bus access in urban planning.
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Recent questions
What is Orenco Station known for in Portland?
Orenco Station in the Portland metropolitan area is renowned for being a famous transit-oriented development, designed as a high-quality, mixed-use development near transit. It is considered one of the earliest modern examples of a US community purposely designed as a transit-oriented development along a modern light rail system.
When did the city of Hillsboro start planning Orenco Station?
The city of Hillsboro began assembling parcels for a housing development in the 1980s, with Oregon Metro identifying the site for a station along its new west side light rail line. This marked the initial stages of planning for Orenco Station as a transit-oriented development.
What are the key features of Orenco Station's design?
Orenco Station, a New Urbanist TOD, features walkable streets, a turn-of-the-century design palette, front porches on houses, and a mix of land uses including retail and services. These design elements contribute to the upscale, walkable character that attracts residents to the area.
How has Orenco Station evolved since its inception?
Orenco Station has experienced significant growth since its inception, with most new development being multi-family housing or mixed-use development, some as dense as six stories. This evolution showcases the success of Orenco Station as a walkable neighborhood with dense development.
What makes Orenco Station successful as a walkable neighborhood?
A recent study found that Orenco Station generates half the car trips expected of a typical suburb and requires about half the parking spaces, highlighting its success as a walkable neighborhood with dense development. This success is attributed to design choices that maximize its effectiveness in generating more transit trips and reducing car trips.
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Summary
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Orenco Station: Successful Transit-Oriented Development Model
- Orenco Station in the Portland metropolitan area is a famous transit-oriented development, designed as a high-quality, mixed-use development near transit.
- Orenco Station is one of the earliest modern examples of a US community purposely designed as a transit-oriented development along a modern light rail system.
- The city of Hillsboro began assembling parcels for a housing development in the 1980s, with Oregon Metro identifying the site for a station along its new west side light rail line.
- Orenco Station, a New Urbanist TOD, features walkable streets, a turn-of-the-century design palette, front porches on houses, and a mix of land uses including retail and services.
- Initial studies showed that transit ridership for commuting at Orenco Station was higher than the national average but similar to the rest of the Portland area, with residents moving there for the upscale, walkable character.
- Orenco Station has grown considerably since its inception, with most new development being multi-family housing or mixed-use development, some as dense as six stories.
- A recent study found that Orenco Station generates half the car trips expected of a typical suburb and requires about half the parking spaces, showcasing its success as a walkable neighborhood with dense development.
- Transit-oriented developments like Orenco Station and Arlington County prove that TODs can work, but their success depends on design choices that maximize or limit their effectiveness in generating more transit trips and reducing car trips.
- While rail transit is crucial for dense regions, cities should also consider dense development elsewhere, with fewer parking spaces, more regional employment, smaller housing units, and solid bus access to reduce car use overall.
