# Trail-oriented development

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Trail-oriented_development
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Trail-oriented_development.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail-oriented_development
> Source revision: 1354505877
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Planning and development approach

Development along trail

**Trail-Oriented Development (TrOD)** is a planning and development approach that focuses on integrating [trails](/source/Trail) with nearby communities, businesses, and transportation systems. Similar to [Transit-Oriented Development](/source/Transit-oriented_development) (TOD), TrOD encourages mixed-use, [walkable](/source/Walkability), and bike-friendly environments centered around trail networks rather than transit hubs.

## Description

Trail-oriented development is an [urban planning](/source/Urban_planning) approach that integrates trails with nearby residential, commercial, and parks development. Trail-oriented development attempts to enhance connectivity, support local businesses, and creates transitions between trails and adjacent properties through expanded amenities.[1][2][3] Developments using a trail-oriented development approach may include bike and pedestrian features (such as additional bike parking), designs that complement the trail or trail users, focusing on serving trail users, or simply a focus on providing users transportation options.[4][3][5][6]

## Impacts

An [Urban Land Institute](/source/Urban_Land_Institute) study found that trail-oriented development can have positive health outcomes and support real estate development with an overall positive return on investment.[7][4] A study on the Mon River Trails System found that while trails can stimulate economic growth, they can also drive demand to a level that becomes a barrier for small businesses. The study suggests proper planning should focus on not just whether a trail will bring economic activity, but on the scale and type of the activity.[8]

## See also

- [Accessibility](/source/Accessibility)

- [Bicycle-friendly](/source/Bicycle-friendly)

- [Green infrastructure](/source/Green_infrastructure)

- [Real estate development](/source/Real_estate_development)

- [Sustainable urbanism](/source/Sustainable_urbanism)

- [Sustainable urban infrastructure](/source/Sustainable_urban_infrastructure)

- [Urban economics](/source/Urban_economics)

- [Urban studies](/source/Urban_studies)

- [Urban design](/source/Urban_design)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Transit-Oriented Development to Trail-Oriented Development"](https://www.nar.realtor/blogs/spaces-to-places/transit-oriented-development-to-trail-oriented-development). *www.nar.realtor*. 2016-08-03. Retrieved 2025-02-28.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Trail-Oriented Development Primer | Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC)"](https://www.h-gac.com/trail-oriented-development/primer). *www.h-gac.com*. Retrieved 2025-02-28.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_3-1) ["Trail-Oriented Development"](https://www.indympo.org/whats-completed/regional-plans/trail-oriented-development). *Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization*. Retrieved 2025-02-28.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_4-1) Urban Land Institute (2016). ["Active Transportation and Real Estate: The Next Frontier"](https://uli.org/wp-content/uploads/ULI-Documents/Active-Transportation-and-Real-Estate-The-Next-Frontier.pdf) (PDF). *Urban Land Institute*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["First came transit-oriented communities, now it's 'trail-oriented' development - The Washington Post"](https://web.archive.org/web/20240618012557/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2016/03/29/trail-oriented-communities-are-catering-more-to-cyclists/). *[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post)*. 2024-06-18. Archived from [the original](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2016/03/29/trail-oriented-communities-are-catering-more-to-cyclists/) on 2024-06-18. Retrieved 2025-02-28.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Westfield sees development along trails as "beachfront" planning • Current Publishing"](https://youarecurrent.com/2024/03/07/westfield-sees-development-along-trails-as-beachfront-planning/). *youarecurrent.com*. 2024-03-07. Retrieved 2025-02-28.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Rosenstock, Ariel (2016-04-07). ["New study: trail-oriented development improves public health and property values"](https://www.archpaper.com/2016/04/trail-oriented-development-uli/). *The Architect’s Newspaper*. Retrieved 2025-02-28.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["WVU Public Health researchers evaluate impact of local rail-trails"](https://health.wvu.edu/research-and-graduate-education/News/Story?headline=wvu-public-health-researchers-evaluate-impact-of-local-rail-trails). *School of Medicine | West Virginia University*. 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2025-02-28.

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Trail-oriented development](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail-oriented_development) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail-oriented_development?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.