Since the last century, the population has become increasingly concentrated in cities, especially in large metropolitan areas. This has led to a shortage of housing in these areas and to construction taking over non-urban areas that are still vacant. In addition, the trend in the design of these new areas is for the density and mix of uses to be increasingly lower.
This trend leads to high consumption of resources, especially in areas that do not have a geography that limits their growth. In addition, new developments tend to require more car use, as travel distances increase, and public transport is less available.
This type of urbanism is unsustainable, so alternative models that promote the use of public transport and active mobility are needed. One model in this direction is to increase the population density of already consolidated areas to increase residential capacity without having to increase built-up areas.
A step further would be Transport Oriented Developments (TOD). Transport Oriented Developments are urban developments in which the public transport system is the backbone of the development, making the private car unnecessary. Also very important is the environment, which encourages a great deal of activity near the stations, through high building densities and careful design, creating dynamic environments that generate dynamism.
Several elements are needed to develop a Transport Oriented Development, which may already be in place or can be explicitly promoted:
– The Node: This element refers to the transport system itself. A node is considered important when it has a high number of passengers using it, and when several lines of the same system or of different systems coincide in it.
– The Place: In this element we look at the surroundings of the station itself. The aim is for these areas to have high floor area ratios, to take advantage of the proximity to public transport. They should also have a mix of uses and a quality that makes the area attractive and active.
– Market Potential: It is necessary that the development site has sales potential, otherwise there will be no interested investors. In general, this potential is usually obtained thanks to the greater attractiveness that the development will generate compared to a traditional development, as well as a possible increase in floor area ratios, among other elements.
In order for a TOD to be successful, it must have a high level of all three parameters at the time it is started. While a TOD could be started from scratch, it is normal that at least one of the elements is already of high value. Depending on which one it is, the steps to follow will vary:
– We may be faced with a good transport node, for example, a large long-distance railway station, or a transfer station between Metro and Trains.
There are areas where this situation exists, but where the surroundings are undeveloped, or with an industrial past that is no longer in use. In this case it would be necessary to promote a change in the permitted uses, to allow residential and tertiary use.
– In other cases, we have a very attractive location, but with poor transport links. An extension of the metro or suburban train system could be considered to serve the area, or to improve the existing one.
In these cases, as to benefit from the development it will be necessary to increase the densities of built-up areas, special care must be taken not to change the essence of the neighbourhoods where we are acting, as it is this essence that usually makes the place special. It will be essential to involve residents and traders in the process.
– Finally, when the market potential is high, usually due to the location of the area and the demand for housing and commercial space, it will be easy to get developers to fund the development.
In this case it will be necessary to create both urban space and a high-capacity transport system to reach the area.
In the face of the climate emergency we are experiencing, it is essential to change the model of city that is being built, where traffic jams, noise and smoke are becoming signs of identity. A bad urban design will weigh us down for decades, and we will then have to patch things up to try to fix the situation, when things, if they are thought out and planned from the beginning, can be done well.
Pablo Cidón
Transport Planner at Vectio Traffic & transport Planning
Bibliography:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204621003133?via%3Dihub
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2022.975130/full
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13549839.2022.2034769
https://phys.org/news/2022-09-urban-densification-lacks.html
https://journal-buildingscities.org/articles/10.5334/bc.123/
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/362/1/012106