United States Department of Transportation
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The New Suburb: Analysis and Trends
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1991-07-01
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[PDF-7.89 MB]
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Edition:Final Report
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Abstract:Suburban areas in the United States have undergone major changes in the last 150 years. Originally developed around improved public transportation systems, they have evolved into low density, widely dispersed areas with travel dominated by the automobile. This report provides an examination of the historical basis for the suburbs and analyzes recent trends and proposals for new suburban developments, especially as they relate to public transportation. Two groups of projects are examined. These are a group of ten 'exemplars' that represent a trend towards more concentrated development and mixed land use. Examples are given representing traditional neighborhood development, pedestrian pockets and other concepts. These examples are analyzed for the potential of transit services. Generally the proposals were found to be compatible with public transit with higher densities, concentrated demand and good pathway systems. However there are some limitations in the lack of direct transit routing, turns required, and right-of-way that could be obstacles to easy operations of transit. The second group of projects presented are entries to the suburban portion of the International City Design Competition. An analysis of over 250 entries showed a limited use of transit as part of the "vision of the future" by the entrants to the competition. Furthermore, those who use transit were generally judged to have not developed a design that used it well. Overall it appears that there are some trends in the planning and design of suburban areas that are promising for the prospects of public transit. However, the state of the art and the level of understanding of transit is limited. Much needs to be done to provide better guidance to planners, developers and local elected officials on the role of transit in land development decisions.
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