Transit-oriented development in Los Angeles: Past, Present and Future

Mark Vallianatos | Madeline Brozen

This brief provides a short history of how transit and land development have often gone hand-in-hand in L.A., summarizes research that shows that residential density in greater L.A. is still influenced by long-gone streetcar routes. This brief also recommends ways to achieve greater synergies between housing and public transit investments, such as allowing more homes close to transit, incentivizing deeded-affordable homes close to transit, and allowing more homes within a wider radius of transit. This interconnection of transit and the built environment over time holds lessons that planners, policy-makers, and developers can learn from today.

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