Planning the transit infrastructure for placemaking

Abstract

Studies in the past have highlighted key issues about the heavy dependency of commuters on private vehicles. The major factor behind this is the user experience and satisfaction. Transit Infrastructure has failed to attract commuters towards NonMotorized and Public Transport modes. This problem can be solved by the successful concept of placemaking. Building inclusive, healthy, functional, and productive cities is perhaps the greatest challenge facing humanity today. There are no easy solutions. And yet a key part of the puzzle lies right in the heart of the world’s urban areas: the public spaces. Placemaking is a multi-faceted approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces. Transportation can and should be a powerful tool to help people access opportunity, drive economic development, and improve health and safety. Transit facilities, from simple bus stations to major train stations can be natural focal points for communities, becoming a gravity point for activity and revitalizing adjacent neighborhoods. Much of Transit’s impact comes from it drawing pedestrians and cyclists to an area, which helps enliven adjacent uses and support business. The idea is to identify and improve infrastructure (walkability) of links approaching the bus stops and develop it in form of a public space so as to draw public towards it and to create a multi-functional destination for local residents.This study focuses on the Transit Infrastructure at the selected site. The assessment of the elements of the transit infrastructure is done through various surveys such as Road Inventory, Building use survey, Audit Tool and Pedestrian Perception Survey. The analysis tools used for this study include Ped-shed analysis, space syntax analysis and Walkability Score. This data is then used to prepare design interventions for key public spaces and links. This is followed by Household surveys which help evaluate the user profile and analyze the willingness to shift towards public transport. The study concludes with a proposed skeletal framework for an efficient placemaking initiative. The study uses pedestrian perception study results to develop suitable design interventions and suggests strategies that will help understand the role of Placemaking in Transit while creating quality shared spaces.