The final work of my graduate program at Wayne State was a masters essay on TO(E)D for Rust Belt cities, since this has been the reason why updates have been so sparse as of late, I felt that it was only fair to post it on The Dispatch.

Abstract

Many American industrial, or “Rust Belt” cities in states such as Michigan, Ohio,and Pennsylvania have struggled to keep their economies competitive after the decline of manufacturing in the United States. Many economic development strategies for the region involve the potential use of modern transit systems to help restore life to city centers. This paper looks to discover ways we can learn from the past and current transit strategies in order to see how they can be applied in ways that will work to encourage economic growth in this region. Multiple modes and executions of transit systems as well as other economic factors will be studied in order to make recommendations on how Rust Belt cities can successfully build transit systems and create an economic environment that will foster their success. The use of heavy rail, light rail, bus, and other public transit modes will be examined to see where they best fit into these cities. Strategies for how they can enhance the strengths of the city as well as provide revitalization to dilapidated areas will also be explored. Recommendations and guidelines for evaluation will also be given.Keywords: Transit Oriented Development (TOD), Economic Development, Industrial, Midwest cities.

Submitted to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF URBAN PLANNING. August 2012

Click here to download the complete paper as a PDF or click on to page 2 to start reading online!