Preparing communities to reap the economic and societal benefits of mass transit along the Ann Arbor-to-Detroit corridor is the goal of grant work being undertaken by MEC and the Michigan Suburbs Alliance.

The Golden Spike project seeks to educate and provide technical assistance on transit-oriented development (TOD). Mass transit along the corridor is imminent, and the communities must be prepared to capitalize on the resulting economic development opportunities. To be prepared, they must build citizen and local government support and create zoning ordinances and master plan changes that allow for the easy integration of TOD.

For 30 years, Southeast Michigan has unsuccessfully sought to build a mass transit system to connect the region's workers and job opportunities. The failure to construct such a system has led to increases in car emissions and traffic congestion and promoted a detrimental routine of highway expansion and urban sprawl. Lack of public transit has had an enormously adverse affect upon the economic health of the entire region.

This year, Michigan will receive $100 million from the federal government to fund the planning and engineering of a commuter rail line along the Ann Arbor-to-Detroit corridor.

TOD means the creation of compact, walkable communities centered on high-quality transit systems. The idea can best be understood through its components. The highest priority is to plan and zone at the human or walkable level. A community with a transit station as a prominent feature would plan for dense housing, retail and commercial development within walking distance to the station. This also means amending zoning rules to encourage such development.

TOD has been an economic boon to every local government that has chosen to implement it. St. Louis has seen substantial redevelopment and real estate investments near its Metro Link light rail system, which opened in 1993, generating approximately $1 billion to Metro's service area. The Dallas Area Rapid Transit light rail starter line has generated over $922 million in development through TOD. Also, within five years of the construction of Portland's light rail line, over seven million square feet of new development valued at over $900 million occurred adjacent to light rail.

Across the country, there is a substantial market for walkable, mixed-use urban development around transit stops. TOD projects have been implemented in diverse real estate markets like the San Francisco Bay area, suburban New Jersey, Atlanta, Dallas and Minneapolis/St. Paul. According to the Center for Transit Oriented Development, there are currently over 3,000 transit stops across the nation, and all of them are tied to TOD, which helps enhance their regional network and bolster their local economies.

If implemented early and well, such planning will benefit economically depressed older municipalities along the Ann Arbor-to-Detroit corridor in Southeast Michigan.