Alignment, ambient environment, art, crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), emissions, energy, Environmental Management System, facility, green building, infrastructure, land use, lifecycle cost, livable neighborhood, noise and vibration, optimization, public health, , resource efficient, sustainability, transit vehicle, wayfinding, waste management.

Summary

Designing and operating sustainable transit requires a new way of thinking. For the transit industry to achieve true sustainability, it must take a holistic approach toward what a transit agency can and should contribute. Improving transit systems’ performance and integrating transit with community development is more vital to sustainability than simply reducing the environmental footprint of agency facilities. A transit system can consist of the greenest of earth-friendly, energy-efficient facilities and fleet, but it does little good if it is not used. An empty bus cannot be a sustainable bus. If transit doesn’t succeed in integrating with and serving the community, it can be an environmental and economic burden and even a scar on the landscape. These guidelines cover a wide spectrum of sustainability with regard to transit.