The Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP) has published a draft scoring system that rates the quality of transit-oriented development (TOD). The system measures performance in eight categories related to land use and transportation infrastructure.
Released in June 2013, the tool is meant for application to new projects, not existing districts, such as Arlington County’s Metro corridors (according to ITDP, such a tool is forthcoming). According to ITDP,
The TOD Standard is based on ITDP’s Principles of Transport in Urban Life:
1. Develop neighborhoods that promote walking
2. Prioritize non-motorized transport networks
3. Create dense networks of streets and paths
4. Locate development near high-quality public transport
5. Plan for mixed use
6. Match density and transit capacity
7. Create compact regions with short commutes
8. Increase mobility by regulating parking and road use
Under principle 8 , developments earn points by limiting internal roadways and parking availability (both on and off-site), which is a form of transportation demand management (TDM). Yonah Freemark tests the ITDP tool on proposed projects around the United States, including the MetroWest project in Vienna, VA, and provides interesting commentary on the tool at his blog, The Transport Politic.