Can development occur along public transit guideways?
In addition to serving travel demand, public transit plays a key role in shaping how and where development flourishes. Public transit provides access to employment, economic centers, entertainment, recreation and housing among other opportunities. As such, public transit is vital to the success of a variety of different types of development. For example, during the 1980s, when the second major wave of new development was being undertaken in Downtown Pittsburgh, the Stage I LRT and the Martin Luther King, Jr. East Busway were added to the area’s transportation system, providing capacity to serve the new markets. From the 1980s to the 1990s, subsequent to the opening of the East Busway, more than $300 million of new development and re-development occurred in the vicinity of the Martin Luther King, Jr. East Busway. Development continues to occur along the East Busway. More recently, two new bank operations centers opened near downtown LRT stations. There are many other examples throughout
