STREET NETWORK•A street network is a system of interconnecting lines and points that represent a system of streets for a given area. •A street network provides the foundation for network analysis; for example, finding the best route or creating service areas.

•They greatly affect in-town movement and traffic. •Street networks can become very complex in cities. •Street networks are very often localized, because there is little non-highway transportation from town to town. 

OPEN AND CIVIC SPACE PLANNINGOpen and civic space is a type of urban object that encompasses the public realm, urban squares and public parks and recreation space.Type of

open and civic

space

Description

Public realm

the public realm is defined as public space including streets, pathways, parks, publicly accessible open spaces and any public/civic building and facilities.

Urban squares

A planned open public space, usually rectangular in shape with clearly defined borders. These locations usually have significant footfall as public meeting places, concerts, markets or public rallies.

Public parks and recreation space

Recreational space in the urban environment encompasses those areas which are publicly accessible and conducive to citizens refreshing their mind or body through passive or active activity. Recreation space can broadly be grouped as formal (e.g. playing fields, tennis courts, etc), informal (e.g. city parks, linear river walks, incidental open space within residential schemes, etc) and children's playing space (e.g. playgrounds).

Well-designed and maintained open and civic spaces can give an area a sense of identity and character, and provide a focal point for a community. These spaces also act as a forum for community activities. In addition, green open spaces also have environmental benefits, providing a habitat for local wildlife and a natural filter for air pollutants. In particular, open and civic spaces can contribute to increasing resilience and reducing vulnerability of urban communities, by aspects such as the following:•Contribute to community health and well being – physical and mental health and quality of life;•Enhance the public realm;•Passive and active recreation, including relaxation and children's play;•Role in reducing crime and vandalism, and in developing stable communities;•All-inclusive: regardless of age, gender, mobility, ethnic origin or social class;•Social contact and integration, not least in underprivileged neighbourhoods.

ACCESSIBILITY•Good access (including sufficient parking spaces) encourages use of

social facilities. public transport is often encouraged by facilitating with good public transport options.•The scale of open space should be aligned with the level of attraction and accessibility (e.g. a large regional park should be proximate to a major transport interchange to facilitate use and visitation by large numbers).•Recreational open spaces are mostly visited by pedestrians and cyclists. Walking and cycling paths and bicycle parking places should be available in order to facilitate vulnerable road users and direct these flows of people.•The open character of open and civic spaces may prevent crime and roads/paths and parking places near dark corners should be avoided.SAFTEY•As social facilities will typically involve gatherings of people, they can sometimes be very busy. •Safety in all its forms, is an important function for the perceived quality of these environments. •The presence of children in open and civic space further elevate the required safety standards. However well as these environments are designed to provide safety, the safety function can be deteriorated by crime.

for instance children's playgrounds can create unsafe situations

TRANSIT ORIENTED SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

•The continuous growth of motorized vehicles, especially, the increased number of ownership of cars in India is very alarming. The air pollution increases with the increased use of motor vehicles. For this reason, different strategies and programs related to transportation and land use are being implemented by planners and governments to curtail the use of individual motor vehicles.

•. Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is one such planning technique that integrates land use and transportation to encourage people to live near transit and use it. •Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is one of such strategies introduced in early 1990s’ by American architect and urban planner Peter Calthorpe .He defined the TOD in Transit-Oriented Development Design guidelines for the City of San Diego as “ A Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is a mixed use community within a typical 2000 feet walking distance of transit stop and core commercial area. The design, configuration, and mix of uses emphasize a pedestrian-oriented environment and reinforce the use of public transportation, without ignoring the role of automobile. TODs mix residential, retail, office, open space, and public uses within comfortable walking distance, making it convenient for residents and employees to travel by transit, bicycle or foot, as well as by car.” This definition shows that TOD is a mix of smart growth

features with an intention to encourage transit ridership and non-motorized travel behavior.

Elements of TOD• Though, some of the elements of TOD might overlap with Smart

Growth characteristics, the TOD has an additional goal to encourage people to use transit. Therefore, the characteristics include the combination of these two key objectives. The below characteristics are essential to recognize a place to be a TOD.

 Land Use: The land use is mixed with commercial, retail, residential and institutionalTransportation: Transit, walk and bicycle friendly environment. Easy access to transit and other non-motorized transportation modes to encourage people to use these modes for majority travel trips.Population: Mixed with varied household size, age and incomeHousing: Housing opportunities for different income levels and includes affordable housing.Urban Form: Compact, high dense development with multimodal network.

Functional Characteristics of TODIt is important to note that the TOD has a comprehensive approach towards its goal. It needs to be flexible to adapt to different situations, look beyond creating compact physical form and should measure success rate at regional level. It is necessary to see the following three functions are considered when visioning the TOD. Belzer and Autler (2002) have formulated the following as important functional characteristics of TOD.Adaptability in different situations and places: Not any two locations are same geographically or socially. And any place may change with itself in a given period of time. For this reason, the TOD guidelines are flexible to adapt the requirements and issues in its solutions for the given location or situation. Functionality: It is important to note that the TOD is a concept and the outcomes should be measured from the functionality of the development rather than with just fixed amount of density or the number of passengers using the transit station. The characteristics of TOD do not end with the providing physical form, but in fact compliment the development to achieve its primary goal i.e. reducing auto dependent travel behavior.Continuum success: Not all TODs can provide all the characteristics that are defined for TOD with a hundred percent success rate. The outcomes may vary depending upon the geographical location, size of the development, quality of the project, role of the stakeholders and the time of implementation. The measure of success should include various levels such as local, regional, social and economical success.

Action PlanAn action plan helps to formulate the framework and methodology for the given goals and objectives of the plan proposal. It also helps to check the feasibility of the goals to achieve. Preparing a proper action plan would help a TOD to get over the hurdles mentioned above and implement the plan proposal smoothly. The following action plan is a general outline and may include other tasks as needed, based on project specific requirements.•Coordination between different stakeholders • Develop TOD characteristics indicators and Performance measurements, •Develop Best Practices to promote, implement and update TOD•Regulatory Constraints• Data collection and analysis, policy research and guidelines•Plan, Design and Implementation• Review, Evaluation and Update