Abstract
Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in transit- oriented development (TOD) and other transit-centered initiatives. It has been widely presumed that transit investment can significantly contribute to curbing sprawl and creating a more compact (and thus more sustainable) pattern of urban land use, while providing a broader range of travel options. However, little is known about how investments in the public transit system modify urban land use patterns and the geographical extent of impacts. Prior research tends to assume transit lines and stations are homogeneous and have similar impacts without careful consideration of development history, service quality, or other variations. In addition, prior research and current practice often assume transit impacts are concentrated within a half-mile, which has limited the understanding of how transit investments impact the broader vicinity.
