An evaluation of livability in creating transit-enriched communities for improved regional benefits

To improve a long history of misguided transportation performance measures and associated investment/policy decisions, this research explores concepts of livability with respect to transportation in an effort to impart a quantifiable framework for assessing performance of transportation in general and for the purposes of this paper, transit-oriented developments (TODs) in Denver, Colorado. One advantage of the proposed methodology is that the framework links broad sustainability and livability goals with transportation objectives as well as to associated livability indicators and variables. Such a comprehensive framework facilitates a better understanding of what can be done to improve regional performance of transportation and transit infrastructure. For illustrative purposes, this paper then assesses the extent to which TODs in Denver are satisfying livability concerns and begins to characterize the policies and planning that have led to these differing outcomes. Denver is an advantageous case study because it represents a second-generation mass transit system in a region that is fighting intense auto-dependence. The analysis presents the performance of the Denver system with its associated TODs from a broader and more comprehensive perspective that facilitates insight into how transportation goals can be better understood and realized by transportation managers.