Transit-Oriented Development Projects
By implementing smart transit hubs, or transit-oriented developments, rail owners can offset capital costs of construction and secure long-term revenues to offset operating costs once in service. At the same time, they can achieve important sustainability goals and smart city initiatives. In that sense, transit hubs have the potential to be a great catalyst for adopting new development strategies that will make our cities more liveable.
Putting Our Experience to Work for You
WSP designs TOD projects that create vibrant and sustainable communities. We understand the importance of establishing a "sense of place" through the design and development of transportation solutions. Providing a range of interrelated planning and design services —from multi-jurisdictional policy planning to detailed streetscapes and plaza design— we use the link between transportation and land use as a catalyst for community revitalization and sustainable development. By emphasizing public involvement and incorporating all stakeholders in the process, we help improve mobility and create communities where people want to work and live.
WSP’s Worldwide Expertise in Transit-Oriented Development
Our services include growth management, planning and design services for community development, and civic infrastructure. Our overall approach allows for regional planning, urban design, transit and landscape architecture, brownfield redevelopment and station area and corridor planning and design.
TOD has brought value to several projects around the world and allowed for the completion of needed public transport infrastructure. One of the best examples is Bond Street Station in London, where two booking halls to the underground station have been designed to accommodate valuable development above ground in one of the world’s most expensive real estate areas. The revenue from this opportunity has provided a significant contribution to the new transport scheme.
Another example is the new High Speed 2 line between London and Birmingham, which has created a new interchange at a brownfield site in West London. The transport plans resulted in the creation of a new development corporation to manage and act as planning authority for future regeneration. WSP has been involved not only in the planning and feasibility design of new stations, but also in the alignment and systems design for the new High-Speed line.
Strategic Thinking for Underutilized Sites
Other examples are found in Australia, with the Sydney Metro North West and Edmondson Park. We supported the development of the new metro line in Sydney and are bidding on the new town centre upgrades being developed to take advantage of improved connectivity. As for Edmondson Park, we are supporting the new town centre (1,500 homes and 30,000 m² of retail space) made available by a new station on the heavy rail network.
Our experts in Asia have also worked on a number of TOD projects. In Xining, China, we performed a TOD study which involved strategy and planning scenario testing. In the U.S., we were involved in a USD $3 billion TOD plan to provide a concept and implementation strategy to optimize the potential of a 110 hectare underutilized site in midtown Baltimore.
Our experts around the world have worked on a variety of projects, with diverse requirements, laying the groundwork for us to provide unique and innovative solutions.
A combination of good station design, a well-planned development scheme and public realm, and incorporation of information and automation technologies, can make smart transit hubs the centre of the new smart-city, where residents and workers are mobile, informed and productive, ultimately creating a more resilient economy, while stretching the infrastructure investment dollar further.
