The research and analysis focused on opportunities to catalyze TOD in Gateway Cities, the real estate development conditions, the policies necessary to achieve transformative development, and the positive spill over effects that can have on transit ridership, land use, and efforts to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG). This included detailed build-out analysis of housing and commercial development in local TOD study areas, along with scenarios that examined how improved train service could spur additional development and ridership.

Outside the Boston urban core, examples of investment in walkable neighborhoods with strong transit service are much less common. While the state possesses a diverse mix of passenger rail services and a large number of traditional downtowns in Gateway Cities, policies to support TOD in these locations have not been a priority for the Commonwealth, and little attention has been spent developing TOD models that respond to this context. A transformative TOD policy tailored to the dynamics of these markets has the potential to stimulate investment and revitalization, yielding economic, environmental, and fiscal benefits.