1.4 TRANSIT VISION 2040 FROM VISION TO ACTION THEME 1: PUTTING TRANSIT AT THE CENTRE OF COMMUNITIES. Fully integrate transit with community design

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1 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. THEME 1: PUTTING TRANSIT AT THE CENTRE OF COMMUNITIES STRATEGIC DIRECTION 1.4 Fully integrate transit with community design

2 PUTTING TRANSIT AT THE CENTRE OF COMMUNITIES Strategic Direction 1.4: Fully integrate transit with community design Land use, the quality of the urban environment and the development of culture are key determinants of how successful transit can be. Likewise, the quality of planning and design of transit infrastructure can shape our communities and can make an important contribution to creating civilized places and spaces. Transit infrastructure plays an important role in defining the quality of our urban places and spaces. Transit s advantage over the automobile is that it is inherently more people-oriented, and creating good places for people is good for transit. Transit facilities can be exciting, even iconic, and there is increasing recognition that they can serve a mobility function while also contributing to the urban environment. This aspiration must be reflected in design policies, so that we create the kind of cities that we aspire to. Continuous street patterns community-wide can facilitate fast and efficient transit service. Complete streets should be emphasized, accommodating pedestrians, cyclists, transit and personal vehicles. As most transit users begin and end their trips as pedestrians, the pedestrian experience should be enhanced with wide sidewalks, buildings oriented towards the street, active ground floor building uses, weather protected walkways, and landscaping. The length of pedestrian routes should be minimized with short blocks, a grid street pattern, and dedicated pedestrian pathways where necessary. Transit facilities should be convenient, accessible, user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing. 2

3 PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AND TARGETS Indicator 1: Street and Pedestrian Network Connectivity Connectivity Targets: New Subdivisions All new subdivisions will be designed in such a manner that all residents and jobs are located within a 400-metre walk of frequent transit service. Continuous street networks will allow for efficient transit service, and dedicated pedestrian pathways leading to transit stations and stops will be provided where necessary to minimize walking distances. Existing Developments By 2040, all existing developments will be retrofitted to allow all residents and jobs to be located within a 400-metre walk of frequent transit service. Where large blocks and discontinuous street patterns inhibit transit efficiency and pedestrian access to transit, new streets and dedicated pedestrian pathways will be constructed to achieve the 400-metre target. Indicator 2: Pedestrian-Oriented Community Design Community Design Targets: By 2040, all transit nodes and corridors (lands within 400m of frequent peak period transit service) will be designed in a pedestrian-oriented manner. Transit nodes and corridors will include: Buildings oriented toward the street with minimal setbacks Parking lots located at rear of buildings On-street parallel parking Active ground floor uses with transparent windows and frequent entrances Wide sidewalks (greater than 4 metres on main streets) Weather protected walkways Sidewalk landscaping Sidewalk seating Indicator 3: Transit Facility Design Transit Facility Targets: By 2040, all transit stops and stations with frequent service will be convenient, accessible, user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing. Transit stops and stations will include: Seating Weather protection Visibility and transparency Direct connectivity with pedestrian paths and/or building entrances Visually appealing design Passenger information, including transit maps and schedules 3

4 INITIATIVES AND BEST PRACTICES Design Guidelines of a variety of forms can be used by municipalities to specifically address transit-supportive community design. They may target specific neighbourhoods or apply citywide. Transit systems can work with municipalities to develop policies and guidelines that promote street network connectivity for more efficient transit service and reduced walking times, an enhanced and universally accessible pedestrian environment, and the thoughtful design of transit stops and stations to ensure the comfort of transit users. Guidelines should be simple, straightforward, and readily available to all groups involved in development processes. Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg Transit s document Designing for Sustainable Transportation and Transit in Winnipeg is a straightforward, comprehensive reference manual intended to be used from the start of all development projects in the City. It clearly outlines a number of design guidelines to promote transit ridership: Main Street arterial roads running through neighbourhood centres, locating buildings at the edge of the street right-of-way, sidewalks that are wide enough to allow for café patios and retail displays, a network of cycling paths on the roadway, ensuring that all paths are universally accessible and avoiding steep slopes, and constructing accessible bus stop platforms that provide seating and comfortable level of personal space. Left: Designing for Sustainable Transportation and Transit in Winnipeg promotes the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation s Fused Grid street and pedestrian network system, modelled after the 1733 plan for the wards of Savannah, Georgia. This design allows for a grid of arterial roads for efficient transit service while providing a safe and effective network of pedestrian pathways. The guide concludes with a Sustainable Transportation Design Checklist to be used at each stage of project design. Among many others, checklist items include the following: Are all residences and businesses in the development within 400m of the nearest collector street? Does the street layout pattern allow for direct, convenient access to collector streets? Are sidewalks and walking paths wide enough to allow for passing wheelchairs or strollers? Is proper bus stop infrastructure (shelter, seating, waiting platform) provided at all bus stops? Thunder Bay, Ontario The City of Thunder Bay released a first draft of its Urban Design Guidelines in February The guidelines are intended to ensure high quality development as the City grows and changes from its historically industrial roots, acting both as a pre-design reference and as a project evaluation tool in the development approvals process. Significant attention is given to transit considerations throughout the document. Performance Standards include Transit- Supportive Design, Transit Shelters, Street Network and Block Layout, and General Building Design. Thunder Bay s design guidelines for transit shelters. Calgary, Alberta Calgary Transit s Transit Friendly Design Guide, first released in 1995 and updated in 2006, was developed through collaboration with local stakeholders. It is intended to be used in conjunction with the City s Transit Oriented Development Policy Guidelines. Transit Design Principles outlined in the guide include, among others: Minimize walking distance Provide mixed land uses Organize density, land use and buildings to benefit from transit Create a pedestrian friendly environment Route transit into the community Build quality, user friendly facilities The guide prioritizes the pedestrian environment, stressing that transit users should not have to walk more than 400m to a stop or station. Local examples of Transit Friendly Design are included in the guide; it is intended to be a working document that will continue to be updated with growing knowledge and a growing number of local best practice examples. 4

5 INITIATIVES AND BEST PRACTICES Transit-Supportive Design follows a set of key principles that can apply to a broad range of cities, regions and neighbourhoods. Communities across Canada are being designed with the goal of reducing automobile ownership and use, and promoting transit ridership. Below are two examples: Calgary, Alberta The Bridges, an in-progress transit oriented development (TOD) adjacent to Calgary s Bridgeland light rail transit (LRT) station, emphasizes a high quality pedestrian environment. The 14.9-hectare site will have nearly 1,600 residential units at completion, with the most compact residential development located closest to the station. All residential units will be located within 600m of the station, and accompanied by a well-connected network of pedestrian paths. Design details focus on street-level activity, with active uses such as retail and restaurants dominating many of the buildings ground floors. Nearly one third of the site is comprised of public open space in a variety of forms. Left to right: Site plan for The Bridges; Active ground floor uses with residential units above; Wide, landscaped, well-connected pedestrian paths. The design encourages the use of public space while ensuring integration with existing surrounding communities. Since development of The Bridges has been underway, transit ridership has increased dramatically at the Bridgeland station. Source: Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Portland Hills Residential Community is a TOD project in Dartmouth, within the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). It is adjacent to a station along HRM s new MetroLink bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor. The Portland Street BRT corridor was implemented as a cost-effective means of combatting traffic congestion issues between Dartmouth and downtown Halifax. Portland Hills is a unique TOD in that it is located within an existing low-density, primarily automobile-oriented suburb. It covers 111 hectares and will include over 1,000 residential units, nearly half of which will be single-detached housing; community concern for incompatible residential land use densities resulted in the provision of detached homes near the Portland Hills BRT station. Despite its low density, Portland Hills exhibits several key TOD principles. It provides a variety of housing types, including a high proportion of townhouse and multi-family units in addition to the predominant single-detached housing. 100 of the community s 440 multi-family units will be designated as seniors housing. A pedestrian-oriented commercial area welcomes residents and visitors to the site. Planning objectives prioritized land use and housing mix as well as pedestrian connectivity to the transit network, allowing for transportation modal choice. These factors combined to create a successful suburban TOD. 5 Portland Hills community in relation to the BRT station and transit corridor Source: Clayton Developments; Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation

6 INITIATIVES AND BEST PRACTICES Transit Facility Design should be innovative and promote user comfort. To attract riders, transit facilities must be universally accessible, convenient, user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing. Innovative design can be implemented at any scale, from major transit hub stations to local bus stops. Vancouver, British Columbia The SkyTrain Canada Line was constructed prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver to connect the downtown with the Vancouver International Airport. The Olympic Village SkyTrain Station, by False Creek, was designed by Stantec Architects Ltd. and reflects the area s history of shipbuilding and lumber industries with a mix of local materials, including a warm wood ceiling. A large skylight draws natural light into the facility. Wayfinding is emphasized, with the station s downward tilt toward the underground platform indicating the northwest direction of train travel. The station was selected for a World Architecture News Award for Urban Design in Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton Transit has been constructing LRT stations that are aesthetically pleasing and prioritize accessibility and user comfort. Features include automatic doors, elevators, escalators, ramps, and platform edge warning strips. Accessible station entrances are clearly identified. Health Sciences/Jubilee LRT Station Bay/Enterprise Square LRT Station Several extensions of Edmonton s LRT system are planned, with designs established for several new stations. New stations will include covered walkways, heated waiting areas, open plazas and green spaces that can be used to host events, and connecting networks of pedestrian and cycling trails. Top left and bottom left: Exterior of Stantec s Olympic Village Station. Top right: Station platform. Source: worldarchitecturenews.com Right: Design for Edmonton s future MacEwan LRT Station Brampton, Ontario The City of Brampton s new BRT system, Züm, uses unique and easily recognizable bus stops with a distinct style and colour scheme. Stops are equipped with wheelchair loading areas and large, sheltered waiting areas with benches and heating for user comfort. Each stop is well-lit with security cameras installed for improved safety. Real time next bus information is displayed digitally at each stop, along with maps and schedules. Thoughtful bus stop design can be implemented at any level of service, from BRT to local lower-frequency routes. The Züm system s method of branding through bus stop design, combined with the prioritization of user comfort, safety and universal accessibility, enhances the overall experience of using transit. Torbram Road Züm BRT Station 6

7 COMMUNITY DESIGN CHECKLIST Does the community have urban design guidelines in place that ensure that development occurs in a pedestrian-oriented and transit-supportive manner (e.g. buildings oriented toward the street, active ground floor uses, wide walkways)? Are design guidelines in place to ensure convenient, accessible, user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing transit facilities? Are all development applications being reviewed by the transit operator to ensure that street networks are laid out in a manner that facilitates efficient transit service and widespread access to transit? Have pedestrian pathways been constructed to ensure that all residents and jobs are located within a 400-metre walk of transit service? Is there a process in place to identify and capitalize on opportunities to provide short cuts to transit stops (e.g. by purchasing a house and severing land for a footpath before re-selling)? 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. 7