Challenges of making efficient use of existing infrastructure: Developers and transit oriented development

Abstract

In market-based economies, one of the significant challenges and aims of planning is coordinating the provision of infrastructure with development. A specific case of this involves making more efficient use of existing infrastructure by encouraging more intense, higher density, mixed-use development around transit nodes. Focusing on the development industry, the key proponents of development in market-based economies, this chapter discusses some aspects of the challenges for planners and urban policy makers in facilitating Transit Oriented Developments in market-based economies, referring from time-to-time to the urban area of Greater Brisbane, Australia to provide a concrete example to help illustrate some of the problems. The implementation of TODs may be considerably slower than what their advocates may desire for several reasons. Developers operate in specific development submarkets or groups thereof for which they devise strategies to operate and compete within. These strategies may also make it difficult and unattractive to switch to or enter other markets. TODs present some special risks to developers due to their mixed-use character and their locational aspects. As a result, the range of firms with the capacity for, or interest in, undertaking TOD is likely to be small.