Transportation Research Board (TRB)

http://www.trb.org/Main/Public/Home.aspx This website has a lot of information throughout it. If we use it we're going to have to really search through all of their documents and books for info that we can easily get through pdf's and such. I've found a few so far but I'm thinking if we look enough mayeb we can find some good overviews of alternative modes of transportation as a whole. It's got all different kinds of categories and links, but a lot of the sources are books that we can't read over the web. Throughout all of their source links, if you look long enough, there are plenty of pdf's and journal articles to skim too. I'm sure we could find something good here. http://www.trb.org/PublicTransportation/Blurbs/Rails_to_Real_Estate_Development_Patterns_Along_Th_165077.aspx For example this pdf is pretty interesting to skim through. It's about three different railways and the studies
and analysis of the development patterns of real estate along them. Summary: This report documents real estate development patterns along three recently constructed light rail transit lines in the United States. This topic is important for local planning practitioners, transit agencies, community member and other stakeholders in their efforts to plan for new transit investments and foster transit-oriented developmet (TOD). Setting realistic expectations about the scale, timing and location of private investment along new transit lines is especially critical where new development is expected to help pay for needed transit improvements, neighborhood amenities, or other community benefits. The three transit lines examined in this report are the Hiawatha Line in Minneapolis-St. Paul region, the Southest Corridor in the Denver region and the Blue Line in the Charlotte region. The report examines residential and commercial development that occurred within a half-mile of stations along the three lines. Development is evaluated in the context of land use and demographic characteristics of the station areas along the lines at the beginning of the period studied. In particular, the analysis considers development patterns with regard to: -Proximity to downtowns and other major employment centers -The location and extent of vacant or "underutilized" property that might offer opportunities for development or redevelopment -Block patterns that influence "walkability" -Transit connectivity -household incomes.