Crisis Cities: Disaster and Redevelopment in New York and New Orleans,by Kevin Fox Gotham and Miriam Greenberg

Transit route structures historically have focused on the central business district (CBD), and this orientation is often reinforced by planners wishing to improve transit. Unfortunately, their efforts have not halted the historic decline in transit usage. This result is not surprising. Travel to the CBD generally constitutes a small and declining percentage of the total. It would appear that planners wishing to achieve higher overall transit ridership should instead develop transit route structures oriented to larger and increasing segments of the spectrum of travel within the region.

Network design configurations oriented to this objective exist. They include the grid and timed transfer system concepts. These designs are multi-destination systems, allowing travelers the ability to conveniently get from many points of origin to many points of destination throughout the metropolitan area. With a significantly smaller deficit per passenger trip, they can theoretically attract many more passengers than alternative radial systems. Paradoxically, they may also support a healthier downtown. Examples support this theory.