Corridor Zoning is not Transit-Oriented Development

Corridor zoning is a style of development, in which major arterial streets are zoned for high residential and commercial density, while side streets remain zoned for low density, sometimes even for single-family housing. Yesterday, a discussion on social media brought up transit-oriented development, so I’d like to explain why corridor zoning is not TOD, in intent or function. For reference, here’s Yonge Street in Toronto: And here’s Cambie, in Vancouver: Both streets have subways running underneath them. Both streets – Yonge far more clearly than Cambie – are characterized by continuous high-density development along the corridor, only extending a block out from it. This is billed as protecting single-family neighborhoods from apartments while also providing opportunities for housing growth; Toronto has fairly YIMBY and Vancouver has very YIMBY housing growth rates, with housing shunted to such corridors and to redevelopable nonresidential sites like Marine Landing. In the United…