Transit-oriented development in developing countries: A qualitative meta-synthesis of its policy, planning and implementation challenges

Abstract

This study seeks to systematically identify the most significant challenges for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) in Developing Countries (DCs). At the same time, it attempts to analyze whether these are different from challenges in developed countries. For this purpose, relevant qualitative research was systematically reviewed through a Qualitative Meta-Synthesis study. The method included peer-reviewed studies since 1990, focused on the challenges of DCs when planning TOD projects written in English. A search in 12 databases identified 44 records, of which 34 met the eligibility criteria and the quality appraisal for the final list. Using Thematic Synthesis, these results were interpreted and a set of clustered challenges was drawn up, containing general themes, classified as follows: Contextual challenges, Policy and Planning challenges, Implementation challenges, and Actors. Regarding the study findings, eight problematic sub-themes pertinent to the delivery of transit-oriented strategies were listed, analyzed, and interrelated. The results enabled us to retrieve and amass an updated and well-structured set of challenges, whose relationships in the literature show both the complexity of the barriers to be surmounted as well as some key gaps in the research.

Keywords:

• Challenges
• developing countries (DCs)
• qualitative meta-synthesis (QMS)
• sustainable transportation
• transit-oriented development

Notes

1 According to other international organizations, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), there are other similar classification systems which mention “emerging and developing countries” and “developing countries”.

2 See Appendix, Table A.1.

3 See Appendix, Table A.2.

4 To illustrate an international example of best practice in Hong Kong, a rail plus property (R + P) programme resulted in a high price premium for properties adjacent to the stations. The process highlights the role of the transit agency as buyer of development rights from the government at a ‘before rail’ price and then seller of these rights at an ‘after rail’ price in order to recapture the added values for subsequent investments (Cervero & Murakami, 2009).

5 The study contains a number of limitations that should be mentioned at this point. They come particularly from the records and database characteristics, since these have affected the QMS process in several ways. First, the volume of screened records implies the risk of bias and makes the exclusion process difficult, especially at the final stages. Second, database availability was limited by organizational affiliation or high prices. This led to withdrawing the number of unavailable records in the first stages. Also, establishing such inclusion criteria as English-language data, due to researchers' restrictions, also demarcated the search process and resulted in missing findings presented in other languages of developing nations. Concerning outcome limitations, the similarity of sub-dimensions and multi-functionality would pose some confusion for the authors in reaching a decision on classifying into sub-themes and dimensions of a thematic synthesis.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported financially by the Iranian Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Department of Scholarships and Student Affairs Abroad under Grant number 9500038.