Impact of the BART System on Urban Development

Dornbusch Associates was the prime contractor administering a team of six subcontractors for this analysis of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), serving the San Francisco Bay Area with high-speed rail transportation. To better plan for expansion of the system as well as plan similar systems in other urban areas, the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development commissioned a series of studies of the system’s impacts. The studies were administered by the Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

This study was a primary component of the overall BART impact program. It addressed BART’s impact on land use activities, urban development, and population distribution. The analyses focused on the form, functions, and markets for a variety of land uses; sought to determine why particular changes occurred; and demonstrated how the impacts could be controlled and oriented to achieve particular land use objectives. The study entailed exploration for appropriate analytical methods and development of new methods.

The study methods and findings were reviewed by a select panel of transportation and land use experts assembled from throughout the country. The clients and reviewers were unanimous in their praise for the quality of the firm’s work, and the results were presented at the National Conference of the Transportation Research Board.