[ssiguy]

High/mid density around transit stations is good transportation policy but often it's lousy urban planning policy and disastrous housing policy.

Many of these TODs do allow one to live car free but many are also incredible ugly and NOT pedestrian friendly. Metrotown is a great example. Tons of high rises up against SkyTrain but the area is a wasteland unless you consider a mega-mall a pleasant urban environment. Ditto for the new "Amazing Brentwood" and Surrey Central Station. These are places you would never want to go to unless you were going to the mall. They have absolutely no sense of place, community, or urban vitality. They are made even worse by the fact that hundreds have been kicked out of their affordable rentals for the condos they will never be able to afford. They are basically just gated communities without the gate.

For newer developed areas give me pedestrian friendly over these bland and socio-economic stratifying TOD any time.