Redeveloping Bus Ports

Mumbai’s Parin Shah Architects has been appointed to design a transit oriented development (TOD) master plan for four major cities of Gujarat. Architect Parin Shah deciphers the details of TOD which is still a fairly new concept in India, and takes us through his Gujarat projects.

Transit oriented design is a new upcoming sustainable approach to planning large spaces. The method used for the following designs are centered around a transit hub. Other zones that complement the transport hub are placed around it. The sole purpose of such a space is to change the micro infrastructure, diminishing auto transit and encouraging a more transit centric design.

Hence, this will promote the use of public transportation and non-motorized means of transit on one hand, and lessen the use of private vehicles on the other. This gains importance because as the number of urban areas is on the rise, the need for transport hubs has become crucial. With increasing urbanization, many people are forced to live at longer distances from their areas of work. Hence, creating an all-inclusive space centered around public transit is not only economical but also convenient to the users. This form of planning makes the use of large spaces more sustainable as by practicing it, the use of private vehicles diminishes over time and people rely on walking (not far distances though), cycling and use of other public transportation systems.

In the long run, the carbon emissions reduce and the larger commercial zones get and offer an easier and cleaner access. Thus, the entire Transit Oriented planning and designing exercise leads to promoting a greener lifestyle.

Many countries like Guatemala (Guatemala City), Canada (Calgary in the province of Alberta where the TOD community is called Bridges), U.S.A. (State of New Jersey has over 30 transit oriented villages) and Hong Kong (Olympian Park) have adopted Transit Oriented Design to tackle similar issues of urbanization and sustainable planning. A vibrant and sustainable community which greatly reduces the usage of private vehicles is a method of planning that is gaining popularity in today’s time. This kind of planning revitalizes the city in the form of regional planning, urban planning and infrastructural planning of not only the immediate area but the entire city as a whole. From an investor’s perspective, these projects have great scope for appraisal as convenient and popular areas are in close proximity in such places. Commercial, residential and transit areas are easily linked to each other. This minimizes the commute that people have to do on a daily basis.

The concept of developing a transit oriented design in India is a fairly new one. Mumbai’s Parin Shah Architects has been appointed to design a transit oriented development (TOD) master plan for four major cities of Gujarat.

Hubtown Limited has partnered with the Government of Gujarat to reinvent bus depots in four major cities of Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Mehsana. These bus depots will be developed into “bus-ports” benefitting millions of bus travellers.

The Transit Oriented Development master plan is designed by integrating smart planning, land value capture and station integration. These TOD projects will create sustainable development hubs and incorporate positive social, cultural, economic and community benefits for residents of, and visitors to, the region.

The project has two primary spaces. One space is the bus terminal facility which will be handed over to the G.S.R.T.C. The other space, a mixed use saleable area, will be operated and maintained by Hubtown Limited for a period of 30 years in a private public partnership (PPP) scheme. Residential areas, Hotels, Service apartments, Commercial areas and Retail shops together comprise the saleable area.