Where Are Potential Areas for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)—Exploring the Demands for Built Environment for TOD Planning

Abstract

Sustainable urban growth advocates the implementation of transit-oriented development (TOD) to optimize urban spatial structure. The bilateral planning concept of TOD emphasizes the importance of discovering areas with existing TOD features but poor public transit service (potential TOD areas) and further introducing transit connectivity or conducting TOD policy in such areas to facilitate sustainable transportation. However, current studies that are devoted to discovering potential TOD areas remain scarce. In this study, we find that random forest (RF) is an optimal algorithm that can effectively identify potential TOD regions in Hong Kong. We propose an RF-mediated machine learning model (RF-TPI model) and reveal underlying mechanisms of specific indicators. After iteratively learning the typical features of TOD areas in Hong Kong, the developed RF-TPI model shows great capacity to identify potential TOD areas, with satisfactory model performances (accuracy score: 0.89, precision score: 0.81). Further investigation on manifestations of indicators by the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) interpreter demonstrates the intricate, significant nonlinear and threshold effects of distinct indicators. Conclusively, we highlight that random forest would be a prospective tool for identifying potential TOD areas to aid TOD strategy in urban sustainable endeavors.

Evaluating the Tod Potential of LRT Stations in Malaysia Using the Tod Index

“…The spread of TOD growth began from the city centre, and the growth of the suburban started due to the urban sprawl that is suffering from bad transport connectivity and new township development in new suburban area (Jamme et al, 2019& Van Lierop et al, 2017. As noted by Xia & Zhang (2022), land use and transport planning strategies have been significantly influenced and motivated by the widespread car dissemination at the turn of the 20th century, notably in Western countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. The automobile city, driven by concerns about traffic, has replaced the pedestrian and transit-oriented city, leading to urban sprawl, increased energy consumption, and dependence on cars.…”

Research of Metro Stations with Varying Patterns of Ridership and Their Relationship with Built Environment, on the Example of Tianjin, China

“…In recent decades, Transit-oriented development (TOD) has gradually become a cutting-edge model for urban community planning and a new direction for urban sustainable development. TOD could establish efficient linkages with public transportation and land use, enhance the operational efficiency of public transportation, and facilitate sustainable and coordinated development of urban transport and urban spatial layout [4]. However, there still exists the phenomenon of the uncoordinated degree of integration between urban rail transit hubs and urban functional areas in the process of urban development, causing a series of problems such as excessive flow during peak periods, unbalanced ridership at incoming and outgoing stations, and an unbalanced distribution of ridership [5,6].…”