Using Fiber Networks to Stimulate Transit-Oriented Development: Prospects Barrier and Best Practices

This study empirically examines a practical aspect of a relationship that is only now being conceptualized––the relationship between rail transit, land development, and telecommunications. It pushes the envelope of knowledge in so far as the interaction between just two of the factors, public transportation and land use (urban form), has been a focus of policy research for only about 30 years, especially the last 10 years.

This study is concerned with the feasibility of introducing three telecommunications-based incentives for transit-oriented development. The market for these hypothetical incentives is the developers of transit-oriented projects. California’s Bay Area/Santa Clara Valley and Los Angeles/Southern California regions are the study’s geographical focus. The question is the extent to which members of the development community believe that the incentives would affect the viability of their transit-oriented projects.