Land Use

The TPB Vision calls for the region to “Give high priority to regional planning and funding for transportation facilities that serve the regional core and regional activity centers, including expanded rail service and transit centers where passengers can switch easily from one transportation mode to another.”

The TPB and Council of Governments Board of Directors worked cooperatively to develop activity center maps published in 2002. To simplify analysis and to describe related or companion areas within the major transportation corridors, the centers are grouped into clusters. For more information, click here.

The activity cluster map shows the location of current and planned Metrorail and light rail stations relative to the activity clusters. An analysis of the plan shows that transit mode share was high in activity clusters, particularly core clusters in the District of Columbia, Alexandria, and Arlington.

This analysis also shows that activity clusters will have a slightly higher percentage of the region’s households in 2030, but will have a slightly lower concentration of jobs. As other forecasts also show, suburban clusters are projected to grow the fastest. Although the percentage of total employment and households is projected to change only slightly between 2008 and 2030, around 50% of new household growth and over 70% of new employment growth during that time period will be directed in the clusters.

Activity clusters are also expected to remain as hubs of transit use. In both 2008 and 2030 around 90% of transit work trips are to jobs in activity clusters and around 70% are to the three core activity clusters.

For more information on how the TPB is working to assist it's member jurisdictions in providing better connections between transportation and land use, please visit the home page of the TPB's Transportation/Land-Use Connection Program.