Urban Design - TOD

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UD – assignment 5

TRANSIT-ORIENTED
DEVELOPMENT
Principles from Singapore

Manogna Sai Padi


17136022 – 8A
As urbanization continues to accelerate in many developing countries, the development of
efficient, cost-effective public transportation systems will be critical to the sustainable growth
of emerging cities.
Planning Transport and Mobility in Singapore,
the “Transit Metropolis”

Building effective urban mobility in land-scarce As early as 1963, a UNDP report on future urban
Singapore has often revolved around high- growth strategies had identified that “there is no
intensity transport technologies. One example is doubt that Singapore needs some form of mass
its ever-expanding Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) transport”. The report recommended that
system, which is integrated with an extensive Singapore invest in either monorails or subways,
public bus network. What Singapore has now is noting that these options were the most suitable
the result of a growth process that has spanned and cost-effective for the cityscape (Abrams,
over five decades. 1963). By 1998 Singapore’s urban transport
However, directly emulating such resource- infrastructure had grown manifold, to the point
intensive public transit options is not necessarily that Robert Cervero identified Singapore as a
a viable solution for many developing cities. seminal example of a “Transit Metropolis”: a city
These projects require robust financial capital, which is designed to be especially conducive for
careful land use and transport integration, and sustainable public transit modes (Cervero, 1998).
implementation capacities that are often lacking
in developing cities. Nevertheless, policymakers Throughout its growth, Singapore has leveraged
and businesses in developing cities across the an effective array of strategies pertaining to
world may learn and benefit from the enabling urban mobility and transport infrastructure
factors, strategies and policy instruments development to stimulate its social and
underpinning Singapore’s urban transportation economic development.
scene.

TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT , SINGAPORE


Conceptually, many of Singapore’s ‘good- The proposed outline of Singapore's Urban
practices’ in urban transport can be broadly Transport Network by UNDP consultants in
classified into four categories (Yuan, 1997): 1963 (Source: UNDP, Growth & Urban Renewal
in Singapore, pp. 82)
•Incremental Development of Public
Transport Capacity:
Supply-side strategies that strategically
expand the city-state’s urban transport
capacity through continuous infrastructure
investment and renewal.

•Integrating Land Usage, Land Ownership &


Transport:
Complementary urban planning policies
streamlining planning and implementation of
transport infrastructure.

•Transport Demand Management:


Demand-side measures (dis)incentivising
consumption behaviours to make transport
infrastructure usage more efficient and
sustainable.

•Leveraging Innovative Technologies for


Transit-Oriented Development:
Commitment to technological upgrading and
encouraging private-sector participation in
urban mobility.
This interlocking mosaic of policies and
instruments anchors a coherent strategic
vision for developing Singapore as a city.

Concept Planning

Successful transportation planning cannot be pursued in isolation from other urban development
objectives. Singapore’s institutional ability to coordinate multiple urban agendas has enabled
strategic planning and provision to develop transport infrastructure in tandem with a broader urban
planning and development framework.

“The Concept Plans cover aspirations, what the community wants to achieve, and confronts major
strategic trade-offs and dilemmas – quite deliberately without getting bogged down in details. The
[Master & Development Guide Plans] take the concepts as a starting point and provide the details of
how the aspirations are to be achieved”

This streamlined approach allows current and future plans to extend public transport infrastructure
to be effectively aligned and evolve alongside population densities and Singapore’s satellite towns.
Nonetheless, political centralisation and the fused nature of the city-state’s national, urban and
local layers have allowed it to pursue vigorous “UrbaNational” policies (Olds, 2004).

TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT , SINGAPORE


Integrated urban planning under the auspices of the state may not be a practice that developing cities
in larger countries can or should directly emulate. Most cities admittedly have to work within larger
regional or national frameworks, and land tenure systems differ vastly across contexts. The key
takeaway for sustainable transport planning is that there are powerful benefits to achieving a degree
of policy coherence & dynamism across different urban development efforts. Municipal institutions
thus need to aim to reinforce policies that are sufficiently adaptable to guide a city in the medium to
long term.

The strategic distributution


of Singapore's transport,
residential and industrial
infrastructure

TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT , SINGAPORE


Singapore’s TOD is primarily focused on urban renewal, through the expansion of the transit network.
The result is a constellation of satellite towns that surround a central core, with rail networks that link
these towns to industrial parks and the city centre. These satellite towns are self-sustaining, with
common public amenities within walking distance and a reduced need to venture out for common
daily needs . Under the right conditions, TOD can also be used for discrete and promising projects
rather than the entire network.

TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT , SINGAPORE


TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT , SINGAPORE
Transport-Demand Management: Incentivizing Efficient Infrastructure Use
Another core component of Singapore’s strategy for urban mobility focuses on policy instruments that
aim to regulate and influence public usage of scarce transport resources and infrastructure. The city-
state even recently initiated a “zero-growth” car policy which aims to calibrate the annual growth rate
in privately-owned vehicles to zero.

Given the long construction windows and high financing costs of physical infrastructure projects,
demand-regulating policies may offer viable instruments in the short-to-medium term for many
developing cities. These measures can help to maximize use of transport infrastructure, incentivize
shifts to public transportation, and help provide financing for further public transport infrastructure
development. For instance, World Bank researchers have observed that the revenue generated from
Singapore’s traffic demand management policies has also helped cover incremental costs for scaling
and maintaining road and railway infrastructure

TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT , SINGAPORE


Connect: Create dense networks of streets and paths
In order to encourage walking and cycling, routes should be short and direct. This requires
planning for an urban fabric with small, permeable blocks and a tight network of paths and
streets. According to the TOD Standard, urban and transport planners should consider the
following objectives:
• Walking and cycling routes are short, direct and varied, through small average block size and
varied routes that access a number of activities.
• Walking and cycling routes are shorter than motor vehicle routes, providing for higher ratios of
non-motorised travel path connectivity to car-accessible road connectivity.

Singapore - Pedestrian Links

Summary: Singapore has introduced urban design guidelines to encourage the provision of new
through-block pedestrian links and view corridors within selected developments in order to
break down the scale and improve permeability of street blocks. xxv The overall pedestrian
network in Singapore includes covered walkways, linkways as well as through-block links, and
has been designed to be three-dimensional with key routes linking upper and basement levels in
addition to at-grade pathways. Specific design guidelines have also been implemented on some
key sites, alongside minimum widths and heights of through-block links.

Results: Downtown Singapore has been planned as a pedestrian-friendly area. The city features a
comprehensive network of pathways that provide convenient connections between
developments, transport nodes, and key facilities. Due to strong design guidelines, the
pedestrian networks have been planned for an enhanced walking experience, with the inclusion
of awnings being particularly important to protect walkers from the extreme sunshine and
rainfall typical to the climate of Singapore.

Reasons for success: The provision of through-block links is guided by a set of planning
parameters and urban design guidelines used to assess development proposals. In addition,
further incentives are given by exempting linkages from Gross Floor Area calculations if they
form part of the larger pedestrian network.

When/why a city might adopt an approach like this: Cities with large footprint buildings might
adopt through-block policies to provide more permeable urban environment and convenient
walking routes, encouraging pedestrian activity. In addition, cities with inclement weather could
benefit from the three-dimensional pedestrian network approach of Singapore by providing links
on upper and basement levels, and covered paths for a sheltered and more comfortable
experience.

TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT , SINGAPORE


FACTORS DRIVING THE TREND TOWARD COMPONENTS OF TRANSIT ORIENTED
TOD DEVELOPMENT

-Rapidly growing, mind-numbing traffic -Walkable design with pedestrian as the


congestion nation-wide highest priority
-Growing distaste for suburbia and fry-pit -Train station as prominent feature of town
strip development center
-Growing desire for quality urban lifestyle -Public square fronting train station
-Growing desire for more walkable -A regional node containing a mixture of uses
lifestyles away from traffic in close proximity (office, residential, retail,
-Changes in family structures: more civic)
singles, empty-nesters, etc -High density, walkable district within 10-
-Growing national support for Smart minute walk circle surrounding train station
Growth -Collector support transit systems including
-New focus of Federal policy streetcar, light rail, and buses, etc
Singapore’s adoption of TOD also -Designed to include the easy use of bicycles
includes affordable public housing in and scooters as daily support transport
well-connected areas. Well-designed -Large ride-in bicycle parking areas within
integrated planning around mass transit stations
stations offers obvious land value capture -Bikeshare rental system and bikeway network
benefits. However, this can also be better integrated into stations
leveraged to capture a wider range of -Reduced and managed parking inside 10-
benefits for all segments of societies, minute walk circle around town center / train
including the provision of affordable station
housing by incorporating clear targets -Specialized retail at stations serving
into available planning instruments and commuters and locals including cafes, grocery,
policies dry cleaners

TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT , SINGAPORE

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