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May 2005 Volume 1, Number 1
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Why a Newsletter about Transit-Oriented Development
(TOD)?
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In recent years, there has been a growing recognition
across America that transit — and the coordination
of development around transit — plays a key role
in the creation and maintenance of livable and sustainable
communities. In New Jersey, leaders at the state and
local levels have acknowledged the potential of transit-oriented
development (TOD) to revitalize or reinforce communities.
Spearheaded by the award winning Transit-Friendly
Communities Program (NJ
TRANSIT), The New Jersey Transit Village Initiative,
(NJDOT),
and generous planning assistance grants provided by
the state's
Office of Smart Growth, there is strong evidence
that New Jersey is clearly on the cutting edge of TOD
planning and implementation in the United States.
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Building on this momentum, NJ TRANSIT and the
Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC) at
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, have
teamed to create an electronic newsletter on TOD
that will engage a wide audience. VTC is a national
leader in the research and development of innovative
transportation policy and it was one of the original
partners with NJ TRANSIT in the creation of the
Transit-Friendly Communities Program for New Jersey
in 1999. The Center has also been monitoring the
New Jersey Transit Village Initiative for the
New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT)
over the last three years.
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South Orange,
NJ Train Station
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It is hoped that through feature articles, news updates,
and suggested readings, Transit-Friendly Development
will lead and inform the TOD conversation in New Jersey's
diverse communities — spreading the word about
best practices, model programs, legislation, and the
key issues that affect TOD's acceptance at the local
level.
More broadly, Transit-Friendly Development will
provide a medium where county leaders, municipal decision-makers,
and the public at-large can learn how to create livable,
sustainable, and thriving places — and discover
why such places are vitally important to New Jersey
as it moves ahead into the 21st century. We hope you
enjoy this inaugural issue.
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Please don't forget to fill out a short survey
located on the bottom of this newsletter's
front page!
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