Connecting Local Community With Transportation Nodes
Reframing transportation nodes as community-based public spaces
A.C.M. Wubbels (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
R. Cavallo – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
J.A. Kuijper – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
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Abstract
Contemporary station areas are shaped by mobility efficiency, accessibility
and densification. Within the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) strategy,
transportation nodes are primarily approached as infrastructural and economic
catalysts. By doing so, their role as socially integrated public spaces often
remains underdeveloped. As a result, station environments frequently function
as a space of movement rather than a place that supports everyday community
life and social interaction.
This research investigates how areas around public transportation nodes can
be transformed into community-based public spaces that support social
interaction while accommodating mobility flows. The research introduces
Community Based - Transit Development (CB-TD) as an alternative approach
to the conventional TOD. It focuses on the relationship between movement,
staying and everyday use. Through literature research, precedent studies and
a comparative station analysis of six stations along Metro line 11 in Madrid,
the research examines how increasing the mobility intensity affects spatial
conditions for social interaction.
The analysis reveals that community anchors such as schools, parks and
local amenities are present in the area, but remain structurally disconnected
from the mobility cores. Rather than density, the lack of integration between
movement space and lived public space weakens the opportunity for informal
encounters and community engagement. Based on these findings, a set of
design principles is developed and applied to Commillas in Madrid. The project
shows how mobility infrastructure can be interconnected within community
life to create a more socially sustainable environment.