Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) concept:
The redevelopment of the New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS) has become the first project to be undertaken on the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) concept in the NCR.
- The project has been approved by the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) which is a statutory body under the Ministry of Railways responsible for the development of vacant railway land.
- Currently, the Indian Railways has approximately 43,000 hectares of vacant land across the country.
- The Government, in recent times, has been promoting ‘transit-oriented development’ where public transport is the backbone of cities.
About:
- Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) integrates land use and transport planning and aims to develop planned sustainable urban growth centers, having walkable and livable communes with high density mixed land-use.
- A TOD typically includes a central transit stop (such as a train station, or light rail or bus stop) surrounded by a high-density mixed-use area, with lower-density areas spreading out from this center.
- A TOD is also typically designed to be more walkable than other built-up areas, through using smaller block sizes and reducing the land area dedicated to automobiles.
Need of TOD:
- Factors such as rapidly growing population, Urbanization, migration to cities, and traffic congestion etc.
- Benefits: Higher quality of life with better places to live, work, and play, greater mobility with ease of moving around, reduced traffic congestion, car accidents and injuries, reduced household spending on transportation, resulting in more affordable housing etc.
TOD & Policy Initiatives in India: It is based on three pillars:
- Enable Transformation (From Private to Public Transportation):
- To assist in the transformation of cities from private vehicle dependent city to public transport oriented development
- Accessible Public Transport (Promote Green Mobility):
- To promote the usage of public transport by making it accessible, encourage green mobility by encouraging people to walk and cycle and at the same time curb pollution and other negative impacts of motorization.
- Compact Walkable Communities:
- To create livable and affordable communities, which are compact and walkable.
