Thesis: Messner

Thesis: Faye Messner

Analyzing the Intersection Of Transit-Oriented Development And Historic Preservation Planning And Policy

Urban development has been tied to public transit for centuries. Today, historic properties designated on the National Register of Historic Places, state and local registers exist near transit hubs that can be historic themselves. Since the late 1980s, cities have been exploring the idea of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), which aims to promote dense, walkable, mixed use, and affordable development around quality public transportation. Not coincidentally, many TOD projects today intersect with historic properties given the history of development around transit in American cities.

Children Riding Overbrook Trolley, 1908, West Philadelphia. (Source: Free Library of Philadelphia, Print and Picture Collection)

The Chicago “L” along Wabash Avenue in Chicago Illinois in 1907. (Source: Hans Behm, (photographer) Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Detroit Publishing Company Collection)
This thesis explores the relationship between TOD and historic preservation plans and policies to identify conflicts or congruences between these planning initiatives. Through case studies in Philadelphia and Chicago as well as through the examination of relevant tools and policies in other cities, this thesis concludes that historic resources can be successfully integrated into TOD.
The Cover of the City of Chicago’s Equitable Transit-Oriented Development Plan that centers on community engagement and just planning practices, including the incorporation of historic resources in TOD projects. (Source: City of Chicago, https://www.chica

A rendering by Pyatok Architects for a Senior Housing Facility in Oakland, California adjacent to historic homes. (Source: Natalie Orenstein, “Lake Merritt BART Project: Senior Housing Coming to Site of Past Displacement,” The Oaklandside, May 27, 2022, h
This research also highlights examples where TOD planning can facilitate appropriate additions to a historic environment with thorough and robust preservation planning efforts. Because TOD aims to promote the development of dense, mixed use, affordable, and pedestrian-friendly places, this thesis also argues that historic districts and neighborhoods that embody these characteristics can accomplish these goals too – when they are well protected.

Thesis: Faye Messner

Analyzing the Intersection Of Transit-Oriented Development And Historic Preservation Planning And Policy

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