TOD is an abbreviation meaning "
Transit Oriented Development".
It serves as a kind of umbrella term to describe any kind of development that is less oriented toward the car then traditional suburban sprawl.
Typical examples of TOD include commerical/retail/housing/office developments located around Light Rail/Commuter Rail/Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and may include both horizontal or vertical mixed use.
TOD typically involves a pedestrian element and is often associated with New Urbanism and Traditional Neighborhood Development.
TOD is commonly associated with increased development density (measured in either dwelling units per acre or commercial square footage per acre). The greater rise in residential density is believed to result in higher ridership for the associated transit system because of the increased number of people within walking distance of the station.
TOD is often associated with Peter Calthorpe and his conception of Pedestrian Pockets.
Whether the actual increased transit ridership resulting from the development of a TOD around a transit station results from the increase in density or the decreased headway is a subject for conjecture.
One developer made the comment that planners should recognize that a TOD meant three acres of surface parking.
In the eastern US TOD is pronounced "Tod", while each letter remains ennunciated in the West.