TOD as a Local Public Policy Instrument for Coordinating Land Use and Transportation: The Case of Sainte-Therese in the Montreal Metropolitan Area

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is generally seen as a North American urban planning model typified by higher density mixed-use developments linked to an efficient transit network operating on exclusive right-of-way. This urban form is thought to encourage more sustainable mobility behavior among city residents. However, TOD projects are rarely analyzed from the point of view of the actions and the processes that enable functional integration between land use and transportation at a local level. Developing an understanding of these processes is particularly important in the context of Greater Montreal, where multiple TOD areas are planned as a part of the implementation of the Metropolitan Land Use and Development Plan. Our case study of TOD implementation in Sainte-Therese, a city in the Greater Montreal area, is based on the notion of TOD as a public policy coordination instrument. The adoption, production and integration of this new instrument brought together local and metropolitan land-use and transportation stakeholders: TOD fostered a dynamic of cooperation, characterized by collective leadership, mutual adjustments of various interests and actions, and a progressive incremental mode of action.