This practicum examines the opportunities and challenges for transit-oriented development (TOD) at strategic station areas along the Southwest Rapid Transit Corridor (SWRTC) in Winnipeg. Research included three case studies that investigated policy support, station area planning and implementation tools in the City and County of Denver, City of Boulder and the City of Ottawa. Three recommendations are outlined in the concluding chapter. The first is to develop Smart Growth land use policies that direct growth to station areas along the SWRTC. The second is to develop station area plans that indicate the permitted land uses, urban form and densities at station areas. The third is to create a zoning overlay for TOD to that embraces compact, pedestrian oriented development, mixed land uses and reduced off-street parking requirements. These recommendations are of particularly benefit to the City of Winnipeg and to other municipalities that are investing in rapid transit systems and TOD.

This practicum examines the opportunities and challenges for transit-oriented development (TOD) at strategic station areas along the Southwest Rapid Transit Corridor (SWRTC) in Winnipeg. Research included three case studies that investigated policy support, station area planning and implementation tools in the City and County of Denver, City of Boulder and the City of Ottawa. Three recommendations are outlined in the concluding chapter. The first is to develop Smart Growth land use policies that direct growth to station areas along the SWRTC. The second is to develop station area plans that indicate the permitted land uses, urban form and densities at station areas. The third is to create a zoning overlay for TOD to that embraces compact, pedestrian oriented development, mixed land uses and reduced off-street parking requirements. These recommendations are of particularly benefit to the City of Winnipeg and to other municipalities that are investing in rapid transit systems and TOD.

Ett område kan skapa en större tillväxtpotential för samhällets olika aktiviteter genom tillgängliga transportsystem. I arbetet med att tillgänglighetsanpassa transportsystemen är tågstationsområden en viktig faktor. En del i arbetet med att göra tågstationsområden tillgängliga för alla är att personer med nedsatt rörelseförmåga inte ska exkluderas. Att bedöma tillgänglighetsanpassningen för rörelsehindrade på ett tågstationsområde är viktigt för att alla ska kunna nyttja området på samma villkor. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur tillgängligheten i tågstationsområden är för rörelsehindrade. Detta genom att uppfylla målet att skapa en användbar bedömningsmodell på tillgänglighetsanpassningen för rörelsehindrade i denna typ av område. Studien genomfördes i samarbete med Älvkarleby kommun för att skapa ett underlag till hur deras tågstationsområden kan bli mer tillgänglighetsanpassade. Därför är studien avgränsad till Marma, Älvkarleby och Skutskär. För att uppnå målet och svara på forskningsfrågorna har en inventering utförts på de tre tågstationsområdena. Detta har sedan följts upp av en avståndsanalys samt en friktionsanalys. Avståndsanalysen och friktionsanalysen användes i bedömningen av tågstationsområdena samt att friktionsanalysen bidrog med förståelsen över vilka vägalternativ som finns på platserna. Slutligen skapades en bedömningsmodell innehållande olika typer av faktorer på ett tågstationsområde. Modellen bygger på tidigare utförda metoder i studien. Studien visar att den utformade rampen inte alltid är den optimala vägen för att ta sig mellan perrongerna på ett tågstationsområde på grund av avstånd och lutning. Resultatet från bedömningsmodellen visar att tillgängligheten på de tre tågstationsområdena skiljer sig från varandra. Därtill visas vilket som är det mest tillgänglighetsanpassade tågstationsområdet för rörelsehindrade. / An area that is accessible to society’s various activities creates a greater potential for growth. Global goals of accessibility have been designed to achieve a sustainable city, so that public places and sustainable transport systems are accessible to everyone. Train station areas are an important factor in the process of adapting accessibility to transport systems. Part of the work of making train station areas accessible to everyone is that people with reduced mobility should not be excluded. To estimate the accessibility adaptation for people with reduced mobility in a train station area is important for everyone to be able to use the area on the same terms. The purpose of the study is to investigate how accessibility in train station areas is for people with reduced mobility. This is achieved by fulfill the goal of creating a useful estimation model on the accessibility adaptation for people with reduced mobility in this type of area. The study is performed in collaboration with the Municipality of Älvkarleby, Sweden, to create a basis for how their train station areas can become more accessible. Therefore, the study is delimited to Marma, Älvkarleby and Skutskär. In order to achieve the goal and answer the research questions, an inventory was performed on the three train station areas. This has been followed up by a distance analysis as well as a friction analysis. The distance analysis and the friction analysis were used in the estimation of the train station areas and that the friction analysis also contributed to the understanding of the road options available at the locations. In the end, an estimation model was created containing different types of factors in a train station area. The model is based on previously performed methods in the study. The study shows that the designed ramp is not always the optimal route for moving between the platforms in a train station area due to distance and slope. The results from the estimation model shows that accessibility in the three train station areas is separating from each other. In addition, the most accessible train station area for people with reduced mobility is shown.

Södra station area is a central neigbourhood at Södermalm, that was planned and built during the 1980s. During that time it was one of the largest postmodern urban planning projects in Stockholm. The intent was to imitate the urban pattern of the central parts of Stockholm with its mixed-use diversity, hence to “promote a rich social life” (Idétävling omSödra stationsområdet 1980, 4). This project investigates the urban form of the Södrastation area, focusing on the interface between public and private space, and proposing new urban features and land-use programs to further support and encourage public life in a central part of Södermalm. Observation of the area and refernance research show that the urban form of the Södra station area deviates form its surroundings and has low support towards its public spaces. How may the streets and the public spaces of the area be enliven? / Södra stationsområdet är en centralt belägen stadsdel på Södermalm. Området planerades och byggdes under 90-talet. Under den tiden var det den största postmoderna stadsbyggnadsinsatsen i Stockholm. Avsikten vid planarbetet var att forsätta på innerstadens blandstadsstruktur för att "befrämja ett rikt social liv" (Idétävling omSödra stationsområdet 1980, 4). Det här examensarbetet undersöker den urbana formen av Södra stationsområdet med fokus på gränssnittet mellan privat och offentlig mark. Därtill föreslås en strategi med nya urbana inslag och markanvändningsprogram med syftet att både stödja och uppmuntra det offentliga livets kontinuitet i en central del av Södermalm.  Observation av stadsdelen och forskningsreferenser visar att områdets stadsstruktur avviker från de omkringliggande stadsdelarna och ger i dess utformning svagt stöd mot offentliga utrymmen. På vilka sätt kan man uppmuntra till livfulla offentliga miljöer?

This study investigated the potential for development of station catchment areas around the proposed California High-Speed Rail System. The study was prompted by a review of practices of Japanese railway company groups that engage not only in train operations, but also in business diversification and property development within the station areas of their lines. These actions allow the company groups to diversify their revenues streams, increase ridership on their lines, and operate as a whole with net profits. This is in contrast to transit agencies in the United States, which only focus on transporting passengers along their lines and do not engage in other commercial activities. This situation limits the potential for transit in the United States to play a larger role in urban transportation. With the implementation of the California High-Speed Rail System, an opportunity exists to introduce the commercial transit model seen in Japan to the United States. Since the California High-Speed Rail System is a brand-new system with few entrenched interests to impede change, it has the potential to lead as an example of transit operating with net profits and providing additional benefits to the station areas it serves. However, since planning for station areas to turn into commercially successful activity centers is still a new concept and practice in the United States, a methodology has to be developed to assess the potential for development of station areas. This study set out to answer the two questions: 1) To what extent are the locations of the California High-Speed Rail System’s planned stations currently attractive to development within their respective contexts? 2) Given the information gathered from the study, what policies should be taken to enhance the future development potential of the California High-Speed Rail System’s planned stations as activity centers within their respective station areas? The potential for development was quantified by calculating accessibility indices for each station catchment area using the inputs of number of jobs, population size, and number of housing units within a gravity model. The results of the analysis indicate that the station areas at the ends of the alignment in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area will benefit the most. The next biggest beneficiaries are the major population centers in the San Joaquin Valley, which are Fresno and Bakersfield. Other stations that are not likely enjoy the benefits of a high-speed rail connection as much as other stations are those that have very little development around them currently, such as Kings Tulare and Madera. However, the potential exists for all stations to enjoy substantial development opportunities if the proper plans, policies, and business strategies are implemented early on and at the corridor level to make the station areas attractive for development. The study makes the following recommendations: Promote the commercialization of train operations and station areas to capitalize on their long-term economic value; Integrate the planning, construction, ownership, and management of train operations and station area development and services to reduce transaction costs; Develop plans or business strategies for each station area to create roadmaps and timelines for their development; And plan for land use activities at station areas on a corridor level to capitalize on specific synergies between station origin-destination pairs (e.g., land use activities that accommodate long-distance travelers between the San Francisco Bay Area and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, or those that accommodate commuter needs between up-and-coming station areas in the San Joaquin Valley with major job centers).

The word revise means to reconsider or modify as with text. If we think of the suburban landscape as a text, the culture of each era left documentation of their values, policies and way of life in the form of transportation networks and other infrastructure, such as Main Streets, squares and public buildings. While evidence of most of the everyday life of individuals of every era gets erased by the following era, infrastructure investments of each era are adaptively reused and remain to tell the story. This thesis documents the adaptive reuse of these suburban frameworks and develops a proposition for the appropriate next layer to accommodate a new culture of inhabitants. Focusing on second generation suburbs, using Gwinnett County as a case study, this analysis identifies three problems of the current suburban situation: the problem of abandoned strips, a demographic shift, and the need for place. As new strip highways develop, old strips decline leaving abandoned shopping centers and declining property values. New development continues to move north and out of the county, and middle class residents, for which existing auto-oriented suburbs were created, move as well. A new, poorer, and more ethnically diverse population inherits the auto-oriented landscape left behind. This phenomenon is particularly concentrated along the southern portion of the Buford Highway corridor. Those with more money move closer to new development, while those with less money have less choice and are found near declining strips with fewer services, poorer quality housing and lower quality of life. Finally, county officials have expressed a desire for defining "the epicenter of Gwinnett." I believe that there is no one "center" of Gwinnett, but a series of places defined by memory, design or events. I propose to improve the situation of these three problems with a light rail line that connects existing places and creates new walkable, livable places to improve quality of life. This connective piece will serve as a social condenser in lieu of a center, provide links between polar populations, and reactivate declining strips while creating a sustainable infrastructural spine for future growth in the region.