COMMENTARY
O'ahu is ripe for transit-oriented development

By Kate Diggle

Many are eagerly anticipating the construction boom on O'ahu, with promises of more jobs for construction workers, contractors and developers, and for the resultant overall employment growth that will help boost our economy.

In response to this question, many are looking at smart-growth models such as Transit-Oriented Development, or TOD, as a way to create sustainable, vibrant communities that will continue to be economically viable even after construction phases. This approach merits serious consideration in planning and implementing the future of our island communities.

According to the King County (Seattle) Department of Transportation, "TOD brings potential riders closer to transit facilities rather than building away from population centers and making people more dependent on roads and automobiles."

The concept includes mixed-use, higher-density development with restaurants, shops, grocery stores, and housing all in the same building. "Build-out" of vacant urban lots and creation of public spaces like parks and pedestrian-friendly environments with wider sidewalks, more trees and better lighting all constitute TOD.

Convenient, well-integrated transit within these walkable communities is the key to TOD.

TOD is nothing new. In fact, TOD was prevalent before World War I, when developers had incentives to integrate transit into their projects, connecting homes and thus workers to their jobs. By the early 1920s, however, the rise of the affordable automobile had begun to weaken these relationships. The automobile was seen as the epitome of progress, and highway building began in earnest.

Development practices changed as zoning laws and bank financing encouraged automobile use rather than mass transit.

Around the same time, government intervention in the predominantly private transit industry enacted chokehold regulations, such as capping fares despite post-World War I inflation that led to higher costs. As a result, by 1919, one-third of the country's streetcars were bankrupt. New models of mobility began to develop.

By the end of World War II, prosperity meant more people had the means to buy single-family homes and automobiles.

The American dream came to mean a home in the suburbs and a new car.

Government highway spending versus transit spending has always been skewed.

According to a 1996 study done for the American Public Transit Association, in 1940, $2.7 billion was spent on highways, while the total operating costs of all transit systems except commuter rail was $661 million. By 1980, $39.7 billion was spent on highways while $5.8 billion went to transit. In 1990, the nation spent $74 billion on highway-building, while transit got $14.2 billion.

While promotion of the automobile apparently was intended for the betterment of society, our increasing reliance on automobile transportation has given us sprawl, congestion, and the deterioration of many of our urban centers, as well as wasted time and money.

TOD has the ability to change that. The finiteness of our island home naturally lends itself to compact development. Our well-integrated bus system alleviates congestion by getting additional cars off the road.

Improvements to TheBus system such as bus rapid transit have the potential to provide better links and faster, more convenient commutes. Historic areas such as Chinatown already boast compact, mixed-use development.

Current revitalization efforts under way in this district will create residential spaces integrated into the vibrant fabric of the Chinatown community. In addition, large tracts of undeveloped land in central and west O'ahu have the potential to become more than just bedroom communities.

Imagine what life would be like if you could walk out your front door and down the block for a cup of coffee in the morning. Or if the grocery store were right around the corner.

TOD can be implemented in Hawai'i, providing us all with real, positive change — from reduced traffic congestion to more convenient, vibrant neighborhoods to lower rates of obesity among children.

The Primary Urban Center Development Plan, eight years in development, uses TOD elements to make Honolulu's urban core more livable. The plan is now before the City Council.

An upgraded transportation system for O'ahu, whether rail or bus or both, must be put into operation now as an indispensable component of a smart-growth program. TOD is a blueprint that can incorporate transit into the design and construction of well-planned communities.

Kate Diggle is a transit consultant with Mahinawai LLC.