Life is a journey, and every journey always begins with walking. Therefore, having beautiful and inviting pedestrian pathways is the starting point for a good journey in the daily lives of city dwellers. The concept of designing spaces around public transport stations, known as TOD (Transit Oriented Development), emphasizes the creation of pedestrian networks to connect various areas of the city to public transport stations. This pedestrian network encourages people to walk to access public transport services instead of using personal vehicles.

1. Reach the Station Within 10 Minutes

The design concept for pedestrian networks under TOD typically lays out two radii: 400 meters and 800 meters from the public transport station. Both distances must be designed to ensure that people can walk to the station within 10 minutes, which is a distance and time that people can comfortably walk without feeling that the station is too far away, making them reluctant to walk.

In densely populated urban areas, stations are usually spaced about 800 to 1,200 meters apart to ensure that the pedestrian network covers a distance of no more than 800 meters from community areas. It is noticeable that urban rail stations are often not far apart, allowing people to walk from one station to another without feeling overly tired, or they can choose to walk to the station that is closest to their destination, saving on travel costs.

2. Attractive Features

            Billboards, trees, shops, pedestrian design, and city scenery are all factors that attract people to use the pedestrian network to access public transport instead of personal vehicles. In particular, shops along the pathways serve as attractions that encourage people to walk to access these stores more conveniently than driving, which may not have sufficient parking available.

Along the pathways, there should be benches under trees and in front of shops where people can rest or meet friends, making the pedestrian pathways not just routes for transit but also social connectors for urban communities.

Essential to the walking paths are buildings or places with beautiful architectural designs, whether old or new. All of these contribute to the city's identity, serving as landmarks or tourist spots, making the city more walkable for residents and visitors who wish to experience it up close.

3. Diverse Pedestrian Pathways

            The creation of pedestrian networks is not limited to sidewalks raised above street level and parallel to vehicle lanes; it also includes various pathway types as options for citizens to choose diverse walking routes such as:

-  Shortcuts: In every city, we can find small alleyways that may not be as beautiful as main roads but can save walking time during rush hours. They are also suitable for those who prefer to avoid crowded paths and are important for accessing residential areas, acting like the capillaries of the city, allowing residents to walk to public transport stations, which are the heart of their journeys, right from their front doors.

- Indoor Pathways: In mixed-use developments in city centers, the focus is on diverse usage, including offices, residences, and shopping centers within buildings. Therefore, indoor pathways must be designed to connect with external walkways.

Thus, indoor pathways are considered part of the pedestrian network, providing citizens with the option to cut through buildings and exit onto the street on the other side, instead of taking a longer route around the building, which wastes time.

            For example, at Osaka's train station, people can enter the station from nearby shopping centers like Yodobashi Camera and Grand Front Osaka, which are office and shopping buildings. They can walk through these buildings to access the skywalk leading directly to the station, and other indoor pathways in the vicinity also connect to the skywalk to the train station.

- Underground Pathways: Another popular type of pedestrian network is the design of underground pathways following TOD principles. This design should not only lead to the subway station but also connect with the basements of surrounding buildings, allowing users to avoid wasting time walking out of the subway station to reach their desired buildings.

For instance, at Osaka's train station, there is an underground pathway network connecting buildings within a 400-meter radius, including nearby subway stations like Osaka Umeda, Nishi Umeda, Kita Shinchi, and Higashi Umeda, as well as connecting to all shopping centers. During the morning and evening rush hours at Osaka train station, you will not see many Osaka residents walking on the surface; they often choose to walk underground between the train station and their workplaces, as it is a shortcut that avoids waiting for traffic signals and also provides shelter from rain and Osaka's cold weather.

- Wide Plaza Pathways: Plazas near tall buildings and parks also count as pedestrian pathways because one can walk through these open spaces to reach their desired buildings. Most plazas are designed according to landscape architecture principles, considering city views, sunlight direction, and wind flow, making them shaded in the morning and evening, suitable for hosting important city events or serving as meeting points for community activities.

For example, at the Westminster subway station in London, England, there are pathways designed like parks and tourist spots that allow access to several buildings, including St. James's Park and Parliament Square Garden. If traveling by boat, one can walk from Westminster Pier along the River Thames to the Westminster subway station.

The highlight of the plaza pathways near Westminster station is that one can see the Big Ben tower, the London Eye, and Westminster Bridge while enjoying the beautiful view of the River Thames all at once.

All of this shows that designing pedestrian networks according to TOD principles not only emphasizes creating connections to public transport stations but also focuses on creating diverse pathways for urban residents. Since each person's lifestyle is different, the choices of life pathways will also vary.

Thanks to information from SRT Asset Co., Ltd., www.kinder.rice.edu (The Kinder Institute for Urban Research)