Book Reviews

As stated in the first chapter, the book’s goal is “ . to provide a set of tools to allow practitioners to begin to deliver on TOD’s promise . ”. For the most part, this 249page book successfully delivers just that. The first two chapters are arguably the weakest of the entire book. There are enough casual generalisations, presumptions of causality, and contradictory ideas in the first two chapters to disenchant the readers with even a basic training in research methods. The discussion of the relationship between development density and travel behaviour (p. 24) is the case in point. The authors rely on the data that are selected by the orientation of the results instead of the scientific rigor of the approach and methodology. Important works such as Cervero & Kockelman (1997) and Boarnet & Crane (2001) are not mentioned. While the discussions in the first two chapters may appease ‘believers’, the authors fall short of presenting any substantive argument or evidence that can be appreciated by knowledgeable readers. The main contribution of the book begins in Chapter 3. In fact, to this reviewer, the contrast between the first two chapters that are heavily value-laden and the rest of the book which is based on the interviews and credible reviews of secondary sources felt abrupt and awkward. Chapters 3 to 6 present key issues related to the development and implementation of TOD projects. Chapters 7 to 11 cover five case studies of TOD projects that vary in size, scope and setting. Chapter 3 successfully presents a compact summary of motives, tendencies and characteristics of the key actors normally involved in TOD developments. The arguments are supported by the timely use of real-world experiences. The authors argue, rather convincingly, that local governments should be the lead agency (pp. 46–48) because they are best equipped to sustain long-term effort and provide support at various levels while transit agencies tend to focus too much on the functional aspect of TOD. ThemaincontributionsofChapters4and5 are practical recommendations with regard to zoningpractices and the financing of TOD projects, respectively. In Chapter 4, based on a study of 11 cases, Greenberg organises discussion into two levels: planning and policymaking, and regulatoryprovisions. In Chapter 5, Parzen & Sigal discuss various aspects of the financing of TODprojects (e.g. value capture, market analysis, phasing, land use, etc.). The levels of detail provided by the authors make these two chapters undoubtedly a valuable resource for practitioners. Chapter 6 covers the strategies related to traffic and parking for the TOD site and surrounding areas. Compared to previous chapters, the discussion in this chapter is more value-laden and less rigorous. The author strives to blame auto-dependency entirely on the environment (e.g. lowdensity land use, over-supply of parking, etc.) while ignoring the intrinsic desire of the public to drive. This line of argument usually leads to the conclusion that if people are ‘freed’ from the auto-oriented environment, people will flock to transit stations. As illustrated by the case studies in Chapters 7 to 11, the strongest demand Planning Theory & Practice, Vol. 8, No. 1, 117–123, March 2007