Old Downtowns, New Life: Revitalizing Legacy City Centers with TOD

How can transit-oriented development around bus and rail assist the revitalization of older, legacy city downtowns? Let’s look at multiple cities across the Northeast and Midwest — examples of  “Frostbelt” or “Rustbelt” communities seeking to rebound from decades of disinvestment and de-industrialization. Many of these downtowns have central transit hubs or are involved in establishing or restarting regional rail service. Transit is not a “magic bullet” or a substitute for market forces, but it can play a role. How big of a role? How can that role be optimized? And how can transportation agencies and local governments partner for success? Join us to hear the answers, and leave feeling as revitalized as the cities you’ll hear about.

Moderator: Al Raine, PhD, National TOD Practice Leader, AECOM, Boston, MA
Clarence Hulse, Executive Director, Economic Development Corporation, Michigan City, IN
Pankaj Jobanputra, AICP, Planner/Project Manager, Simone Collins Landscape Architecture, Norristown, PA
Christof Spieler, PE, AICP, LEED AP, Director of Planning, Huitt-Zollars, Houston, TX