M obility Matters become a very strong TOD station site, its attraction it will remain underutilized.
encourage walking? Is it easy to walk at the station?
Hawthorn Farm – Hillsboro, OR Figure 3: Hawthorn Farm Blue Line Station (Hillsboro, OR)
Hawthorn Farm is one of two station sites for the Orenco Station community located in Hillsboro, OR. Hillsboro, is a strict suburb in every sense of the word but was able to establish a strong TOD campus. The Hawthorn Farm site is located near a hospital, gym, housing, office (Intel, Yahoo, etc.), and strip malls containing popular fast food and moderate priced restaurants. Due to the suburban setting and the early master plan for the community there are no signaled intersections within the area that extend the commute time for pedestrians. Rather than having many of the amenities closely knit like the Del Mar Station (apartments and restaurants directly on the station site) the Hawthorn Farm station emphasizes having some walking distance between the amenities. Activity remains constant as the hospital, gym, and housing is located all near the station which allows for a variety of uses, giving a perception of activity during all hours of the day.
Connectivity – How well does the station site connect itself to the community? How well does TOD connect to other forms of transit? How well do the various modes transition from each other?
t
Mobility – How mobile are the riders and users of the TOD for that area? Can pedestrians easily access other transit to increase their travel range?
t
Synergy – How well do the businesses around the station site work with the TOD? How well does the land uses and other characteristics of the station site play with each other?
t
Activity – How bustling is the station area? Is it busy during all days, commute rush hours? Is the station site area safe enough or perceive t be safe enough for users and riders to use during all times of the day.
Del Mar Hawthorn Farm
Walkability
Connectivity
Mobility
Synergy
Activity
O
!
O
O
!
"
!
"
"
!
"= High != Moderate
O= Low
The Del Mar station holds significant potential to become a stellar TOD station site. There are lots of strong foundational pillars that can be refined and capitalized upon, such as increasing the walkability of the area. Situating developments closer to the station site would increase the convenience and attractiveness to users, greatly improving ridership. Increased mobility could also be provided through stronger design that better connects the local bus transit services to the station site. Finally, upgrading the existing businesses to better attract pedestrians and carfree individuals rather than keep businesses that tie their success with individuals who drive cars.
The closest coffee shop is less than 500 feet away. This encourages individuals to come to the station a little bit earlier knowing that coffee is conveniently located near the station. There is a certain level of pedestrian design built into the master plan encouraging riders and users to walk to and around the campus rather than isolate themselves.
While the Hawthorn Farm station site is far from perfect, it has done a better job at trying to maintain or enhance the walkability of the site so that it can serve as a TOD station site. Everything from the land use and businesses that are located near the station site, and the emphasis on spacing businesses far enough away that encourages walking without allowing users to fear long walking distances. As successful as the Hawthorn Farm station site has been at trying to create strong pedestrian linkages it can still further improve itself as a TOD by providing extended mobility for pedestrians by having betting bus transit connectivity to the station site rather than having pedestrians rely exclusively
Conclusion
To sum up the differences between these two station sites and their effectiveness as a TOD, the following table will judge each of the following categories. t
t
Walkability – Coffee shop measure. Does the station
7
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