Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is the general term used in the transportation and real estate industries to describe the mix of residential, office, retail, and entertainment land use that occur within a half mile of Metro stations on public or privately owned property. These projects present opportunities to redesign and transform urban places in a way that brings transit services, households, employers, and public spaces together with easy walking and cycling connections between them. WMATA's Joint Development program are a form of TOD that is delivered on Metro-owned property and is a key contributor to the urban design framework that supports dense, vibrant, connected communities. These conditions are critical to maximize access to transit, grow ridership, and reduce car dependency. TOD also helps to achieve other strategic goals such as:

• Alleviating traffic congestion
• Minimizing carbon emissions
• Revitalizing neighborhoods
• Increasing housing production and affordability
• Supporting economic development
• Generating fare and tax revenues

Advancing successful TOD requires careful planning to design projects that balance the needs of transit operations and public safety with local land use plans, real estate market conditions, site constraints, and community priorities. To support these outcomes, a series of standards, guidelines, and analytical tools have been developed by WMATA and the Federal Transit Administration that are periodically updated as ridership and development trends evolve.