Bicycle Trail Oriented Development plans a development portfolio to bike trails and lanes similar to how residential, commercial and other buildings are designed for access to transit station areas
Benefits & Problems Addressed
Expanded affordable housing: Similar to transit-oriented development, trail-oriented development links housing and affordable transportation to reduce overall household costs.
Expanded economic development: Atlanta, Portland and Dallas saw real estate values rise for homes proximate to regional trails.
Tips & Techniques
Getting started: Audit your trail network to see what possibilities exist for linking housing and destinations such as jobs and schools. Also determine how trails fit into the region’s overall mobility networks, including access to transit. For development, audit plans and zoning codes to see where opportunities and barriers exist. Talk to local real estate developers to see if/where projects are feasible.
Access: Like any other transportation system, define clear access to trails.
Development amenities: For commercial buildings, update building codes and/or incentive programs to include amenities such as lockers, showers, repair stations and racks. For housing or mixed use, include amenities such as bicycle storage, extra-wide hallways and elevators, bike cleaning/repair stations, bike “valets,” bike-share systems and shower or locker facilities.
Hot Buttons: Trail users accustomed to natural buffers may resist development. Like transit-oriented development, the value of trails can push up housing costs. Promoting trails may require significant repairs and upgrades to trails and access points.
Resources
Active Transportation and Real Estate: The Next Frontier, (2016), Urban Land Institute
TrOD: Trails and Economic Development, Rail to Trails Conservancy