Turning Transit Centers into 'Places'

A rail station need not be solely a place for transportation; it also can serve as a setting for community interaction, a place that accommodates a diversity of activities. As places where people come together, train stations can become focal points for a variety of community activities and comfortable and convenient places for passengers. Rail stations can also provide a welcoming presence and act as a focal point for downtowns.
more >>

Creating Balanced Access

Rail stations can generate conflicting demands among rail passengers who arrive by car, by bus, on foot, or by bicycle. In the past, decisions about improving access to stations have largely focused on improving auto access, while pedestrian and bicycle access have not comparably addressed, thereby creating environments that discourage use by non-motorists. A balanced approach makes streets that work for all users-motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians’ alike-and that create an attractive and vital setting for retail, housing, and other downtown uses.
more >>

Adding Housing to a Lively Downtown Mix

Improving the pedestrian environment around a station by fostering active and busy public spaces creates an opportunity to encourage an attractive and interesting housing environment. Building downtown housing units could be an important step towards fulfilling San Mateo County's goal of creating 15,600 units by 2010. Downtown housing can also revitalize surrounding business districts, attract new businesses, and encourage the rehabilitation of older or historic structures-as well as new construction. These districts can develop identities of their own and become popular places to live. An important complement to current and future local housing could be Sequoia High School, which, as an integral part of downtown as a public park, could serve as a site for community concerts, theater, and events.
more >>

Transforming El Camino Real into San Mateo County's Grand Boulevard

This historic road, which parallels the Caltrain tracks through most of the Peninsula, acts as an unfriendly divider in most downtowns. This project is working with Caltrans to rethink the road as a "Main Street" Boulevard that is a pedestrian-friendly and attractive community asset-while maintaining traffic capacity and mobility-making it fit into the context of downtown San Carlos.
more >>