Published April 2011

How can private sector developers, philanthropy, governments, transit service providers, and advocates better work together to achieve equitable transit-oriented development? What does it take to create and sustain these challenging partnerships? What are effective strategies, and what are some strong operating principles for moving forward?

This report summarizes findings from a forum held in Washington DC in November 2010 by the ULI Infrastructure Initiative, with funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, to explore these issues. The report summarizes insights and experiences from partnership efforts in four transit corridors: the Denver West Corridor Line, the Seattle Central Link, the Minneapolis–St. Paul Central Corridor, and the Atlanta BeltLine.

TOD is widely viewed as a catalyst for sustainable urban revitalization, yet planners and implementers of TOD struggle with how to ensure that such development—and the opportunities it can create—benefit everyone in a community. Although equitable TOD has been defined in a variety of ways, its goal typically is articulated as ensuring that the planning process for TOD is open and inclusive and that the benefits and opportunities that TOD creates are shared by a broad range of income groups.

The report highlights ten principles that participants in the forum identified as strategies to ensure effective partnerships in pursuit of more equitable transit-oriented development. These principles include identifying and involving all stakeholders, establishing roles and rules of engagement, and celebrating successes and sharing results. The ideas offered in this report are intended to serve as a departure point for further discussions between leaders from sectors across the country interested in using cross-sector partnerships to build more equitable mixed-income communities.

Download the Report