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.