THE negativity surrounding the debate on transit-oriented development (TOD) is surprising and shows the silo perspectives of detractors.
All around the world, cities are encouraging TOD development to alleviate traffic congestion and reduce pollution.
TOD is a mixed-used integrated development allowing people to work and live without the need for commuting.
The suburban sprawl of the 1960s and 1970s resulted in commuting and time wasted commuting, and causes pollution from vehicles in jams.
Meanwhile, city centres are busy during the day but deserted at night. For many years, city dwellers have not found the need to own cars, relying instead on public transportation.
Now, with ride-hailing services, this movement has taken root.
The argument that we should have all our infrastructure in place before adopting TOD is flawed.
This is a chicken-and-egg argument without acknowledging that TOD is the key to the solution. The public must be made aware of TOD’s advantages and adopt this trend early to solve the problems of sprawling suburban, low-density development and alleviate the need for commuting.
CHANG T.K.
Petaling Jaya, Selangor