Towards a new society brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic;
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) as a Network Hub
Kiyoyoshi Okumori, Executive Officer, Principal, Urban Development Planning Group, Urban Project Department, NIKKEN SEKKEI LTD
（The positions in this article were current at the time of publication.）
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The COVID-19 pandemic saw major restrictions on movement imposed in cities around the world.
I feel that along with the discovery of new values, such as working remotely, life with limited mobility has also, in reality, given rise to questions about cities and the nature of mobility up to this point.
In this column, I would like to give voice to my thoughts on the future of cities and mobility.
Kiyoyoshi Okumori, Executive Officer, Principal, Urban Development Planning Group, Urban Project Department, NIKKEN SEKKEI LTD
（The positions in this article were current at the time of publication.）
A shift from centralized to decentralized mobility
The choices available to us in terms of where we work have increased exponentially, and we will likely see a shift towards lifestyles where there is movement not only in one direction from homes to offices in the city center, but where multiple workplaces and spaces to interact will be selected depending on the objective of a particular day. Mobility may shift from a centralized to decentralized model with people working from home one day, at workspaces near their homes, at offices in city centers, or at nearby workplaces after meetings.
Subway networks stretch throughout Tokyo and other major cities around the world like London, New York, Paris and Shanghai. In Tokyo, for example, the Tokyo Metro alone has nine lines that cover a total distance of about 195 kilometers. Metro stations extend around the world’s cities like elaborate networks and are considered to be the optimal form of infrastructure to support decentralized urban societies in the post-Corona era. As we think about the future of cities and mobility, it will be important for us to consider how to adapt the networks of metro stations that stretch throughout cities around the world to our new way of life.
Schematic diagram of centralized and decentralized models
Role as network hubs of walkable spaces around stations
The Tokyo Metro has extended time limits for transfers from 30 minutes to one hour for commuters who need to exit ticket gates to transfer to other trains and has made it possible to transfer between the Ginza and Ginza-itchome stations that are not connected underground. This may create opportunities in the future for people to enjoy walking around the city in between transit stops. Many of the world’s cities have multiple stations in their urban centers that are within walking distance. While transit-orientated spaces have been developed in the past where individual stations are integrated with the urban area, expanding pedestrian spaces connecting multiple stations will create transit-oriented spaces that can act as network hubs to produce diverse urban activities within a walkable distance. Connecting stations to buses and personal transportation options, such as shared vehicles and bicycles as well as elevators, will offer smoother access to a wide variety of activities and locations. Transit-oriented areas are expected to become spaces that extend to a variety of functions, including plazas, shops, workplaces, and entertainment options, to name a few. To that end, it will be necessary to convert street space from roadways to pedestrian and other mobility spaces. Through area management, these newly-developed areas bursting with energy can be used as valuable spaces for the local community. By transforming the entire area including the streets into dynamic spaces, they will be transformed into infrastructure that can support real communication, something that is expected to increase in value in the future.
Strategies for these walkable areas cannot be realized by rail operators alone. It is important to create a vision for these areas in collaboration with local governments and nearby businesses.
Strategies for these walkable areas cannot be realized by rail operators alone. It is important to create a vision for these areas in collaboration with local governments and nearby businesses.
Transit-oriented spaces as network hubs
Proactive responses to diverse choices in transportation modes
MaaS (Mobility as a Service) has already become a global initiative and is likely to pick up speed in the post-COVID-19 society. The reason for this is that as we make the shift towards decentralized mobility, the connections between the network infrastructure of subways and other transportation modes become even more critical. MaaS will release us from one-directional movement, such as from the home to the office, and give us the freedom to choose the most optimal means of transportation and locations that fit with our objectives of the day. In addition to the diversification of mobility behaviors due to the decentralization of workplaces, it is conceivable that cloud control can be used to respond to off-peak travel and congestion levels with the application of ICT (=MaaS), resulting in the smarter use of transportation capacity.
The development of an urban model that uses MaaS to make the selection of “time and place” smarter can be expected to make cities more resilient to pandemics.
The development of an urban model that uses MaaS to make the selection of “time and place” smarter can be expected to make cities more resilient to pandemics.
Developing transit-oriented spaces with light and wind
There is no doubt that, in terms of mobility, there will be more demand for comfort and safety in the future. As we set our sights on safety measures using equipment, such as automatic disinfecting machines that are already in place in the Moscow metro and body temperature scanning devices that are now commonly found at office entrances, I believe that spaces with these types of safety measures should be secured in station areas.
There is no doubt that, in terms of mobility, there will be more demand for comfort and safety in the future. As we set our sights on safety measures using equipment, such as automatic disinfecting machines that are already in place in the Moscow metro and body temperature scanning devices that are now commonly found at office entrances, I believe that spaces with these types of safety measures should be secured in station areas.
A more proactive response will be the need to create more open station spaces. Increasing the number of stations with abundant natural light and where commuters can feel the fresh breeze will not only raise the comfort level for travel but will also ensure safety.
Although it will be necessary to make exits and entrances easier to understand and amplify spaces connected to street levels, these measures are important not only to counter the novel coronavirus, but also as BCP measures in the event of a disaster.
A more proactive response will be the need to create more open station spaces. Increasing the number of stations with abundant natural light and where commuters can feel the fresh breeze will not only raise the comfort level for travel but will also ensure safety.
Although it will be necessary to make exits and entrances easier to understand and amplify spaces connected to street levels, these measures are important not only to counter the novel coronavirus, but also as BCP measures in the event of a disaster.
Image of transit-oriented space with natural light and wind
I believe that the value of real communication in cities will remain as high as ever. As network hubs, Transit Oriented Development (TOD) will serve as infrastructure to support this communication, allowing for a greater variety of choices than ever before and expanding initiatives to increase both comfort and safety. (July 10, 2020)
Kyobashi Station/Tokyo Metro Line , TOKYO SQUARE GARDEN © Forward Stroke Inc.
