Bridging past and future: Opportunities and challenges of transit-oriented development in heritage urban districts from practitioners perspectives

As cities pursue sustainability through Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), historic urban districts face increasing pressure to modernize without losing their cultural identity. While TOD supports compact, accessible, and low carbon development, its integration with heritage areas remains underexplored, especially from the perspective of practitioners in planning, design, and conservation. This study addresses that gap by examining the opportunities, challenges, and strategies for aligning TOD with heritage preservation. A mixed-method approach was adopted, combining bibliometric analysis to identify research gaps, a structured questionnaire of 15 practitioners across Asia, and comparative case studies from Chicago, Istanbul, Tokyo, and Menteng. The findings reveal that TOD, when contextually adapted, can enhance connectivity, stimulate local economies, and promote adaptive reuse. Yet, challenges persist, including zoning conflicts, visual disruption, and limited financial incentives. Strategic tools identified include Transfer of Development Rights (TDR), tax incentives, placemaking, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. The findings are synthesized in a Comparative Matrix to offer actionable insights. This research contributes to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 by promoting strategies that reconcile progress with preservation and supports more integrated TOD approaches in heritage settings, offering guidance for practitioners, policymakers, and scholars navigating this critical urban intersection.