// Workers AI · dad joke modeDoes trail-oriented development go off track?
Trail-Oriented Development (TrOD) is a planning and development approach that focuses on integrating trails with nearby communities, businesses, and transportation systems. Similar to Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), TrOD encourages mixed-use, walkable, and bike-friendly environments centered around trail networks rather than transit hubs.
Description
[edit]Trail-oriented development is an urban planning approach that integrates trails with nearby residential, commercial, and parks development. Trail-oriented development attempts to enhance connectivity, support local businesses, and create transitions between trails and adjacent properties through expanded amenities.[1][2][3] Developments using a trail-oriented development approach may include bike and pedestrian features (such as additional bike parking), designs that complement the trail or trail users, focusing on serving trail users, or simply a focus on providing users transportation options.[4][3][5][6]
Impacts
[edit]An Urban Land Institute study found that trail-oriented development can have positive health outcomes and support real estate development with an overall positive return on investment.[7][4] A study on the Mon River Trails System found that while trails can stimulate economic growth, they can also drive demand to a level that becomes a barrier for small businesses. The study suggests proper planning should focus on not just whether a trail will bring economic activity, but on the scale and type of the activity.[8]
A study of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail showed an initial 2008 investment of $63M in the trail network resulted in an increase of approximately $1 billion in assessed property value by 2014, which grew to more than $3 billion in assessed property value by 2026.[9][10][11] The Atlanta Beltline built starting in 2005 with $1 billion in public and philanthropic financial support, has seen $14 billion in private investment and $23 billion of economic output either directly or through spillover effects.[12][13] The many trail-oriented businesses and residents along the Beltline include approximately 4500 affordable housing units, many market rate units, and approximately 34,000 jobs supported in the area.[13][12]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Transit-Oriented Development to Trail-Oriented Development". www.nar.realtor. 2016-08-03. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
- ↑ "Trail-Oriented Development Primer | Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC)". www.h-gac.com. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
- 1 2 "Trail-Oriented Development". Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
- 1 2 Urban Land Institute (2016). "Active Transportation and Real Estate: The Next Frontier" (PDF). Urban Land Institute.
- ↑ "First came transit-oriented communities, now it's 'trail-oriented' development - The Washington Post". The Washington Post. 2024-06-18. Archived from the original on 2024-06-18. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
- ↑ "Westfield sees development along trails as "beachfront" planning • Current Publishing". youarecurrent.com. 2024-03-07. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
- ↑ Rosenstock, Ariel (2016-04-07). "New study: trail-oriented development improves public health and property values". The Architect’s Newspaper. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
- ↑ "WVU Public Health researchers evaluate impact of local rail-trails". School of Medicine | West Virginia University. 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
- ↑ "Economic Development And Highway Right-Sizing Case Studies Indianapolis Cultural Trail" (PDF). Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Baillie, Colin (2026-06-03). "Indianapolis Cultural Trail celebrates 2 decades of success". Indianapolis News | Indiana Weather | Indiana Traffic | WISH-TV |. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- ↑ "Indianapolis Cultural Trail Impact". Indianapolis Cultural Trail. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- 1 2 "Atlanta Beltline Sustains 91,000 Jobs and $23 Billion in Annual Economic Output, Positioning the Beltline as a National Model for Urban Redevelopment | Beltline". Atlanta Beltline. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- 1 2 "Atlanta invested nearly $1B into the Beltline. What did it get in return?". ajc. Retrieved 2026-06-15.