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Myth and Fact 17 The reason is that higher-density developments make for more walkable neighbor- hoods and bring together the concentration of population required to support pub- lic transportation. The result is that residents in higher-density housing make fewer and shorter auto trips than those living in low-density housing.25 Condominium and townhouse residents average 5.6 trips per day and apartment dwellers 6.3 car trips per day, compared with the ten trips a day averaged by residents of low-density com- munities. (A trip is defined as any time a car leaves or returns to a home.) Increasing density can significantly reduce dependency on cars, but those benefits are even greater when jobs and retail are incorporated with the housing. Such mixed-use neighborhoods make it easier for people to park their car in one place and accomplish several tasks, which not only reduces the number of car trips required but also reduces overall parking needs for the community. But if retail uses are to survive, they must be near households with disposable income. Having those households within walking distance of the shops builds in a market for the stores. One study indicates that in some markets, 25 to 35 percent of retail sales must come from housing close to shops for the shops to be successful.26 MYTH THREEEFACTTHREE Southwest Station The Southwest Metro Transit Commission is a small suburban bus system near Minneapolis that serves downtown Minneapolis and numerous other employment and recreation centers, including Minnesota Twins baseball games. The American Public Transportation Association calls it the “best small system in the country.” In an effort to capital- ize and expand on the success of the system, the commission has encouraged transit-oriented devel- opment at its bus stops. In Eden Prairie, Minnesota, the commission completed a bus depot and five- story parking garage on 22 acres of excess right-of- way. In 2001, it started selling land around the tran- sit complex for retail and residential development. Restaurants, shops, and more than 250 apartments, condominiums, and townhouses soon followed. The new development generated revenue for the com- mission, new public transit riders, affordable con- venient housing, and a suburban lifestyle with the amenities usually afforded only to city dwellers. PROFILE The Southwest Metro Transit Commission in suburban Minneapolis runs an award-winning bus system and has encouraged higher-density development around transit stops, like this one at Southwest Station in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. SOUTHWEST METRO TRANSIT COMMISSION