The Great Communities Collaborative is currently developing or supporting several tools to help community members better understand and influence plans and to help decision-makers make better decisions about transit oriented development. Tools under development include:

• TOD Clearinghouse Website: In development by Reconnecting America, this will be a searchable online collection of articles covering every aspect of transit oriented development literature, particularly focused on best practices throughout the United States.

• Traffic Generation Model: The Transportation and Land Use Coalition (TALC) is developing the ability to use a Caltrans-sanctioned model to estimate traffic generated by different developments. The collaborative will use the model to show how individual Transit-Oriented Developments (TODs) can reduce driving and air pollution, compared to the same size development far from transit and services, and to show how changes in the plan could further reduce traffic and driving.
• Mixed Income Housing Policy Options: A team is providing technical assistance to a few cities on how to integrate mixed-income housing in transit oriented development in the Bay Area. The team includes Center for Community Innovation at UC Berkeley, Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California, and Reconnecting America.
• Land Banking Strategy: The Bay Area Local Initiatives Support Corporation, with support from Reconnecting America and The San Francisco Foundation, is conducting a study of successful land acquisition and banking strategies in both the Bay Area and nationally. Local experts will convene and create a final recommendations report.
• Health Impact Assessments: Human Impact Partners, with a multi-disciplinary team, will document methods for health assessment of land use and transportation goals, and the potential of transit oriented development as a health promotion strategy. They will also identify strategies to mitigate potential environmental health costs associated with transit oriented development and ways to design new development to promote health.