Connecting Cities: Mass Transit Corridors Shaping Urban Form

As cities undergo continuous expansion, they tend to experience a dual phenomenon of urban growth. Firstly, their cores become denser as urbanization intensifies and secondly they sprawl outward beyond their planned capacities. This sprawling growth extends travel distances and increases the time spent in transit, consequently straining connectivity within the city, as well as increasing travel costs. As a result, cities often find themselves depleted of resources and fragmented into disconnected urban centers such as Guatemala with inadequate transportation options. This situation underscores the pressing need for a fundamental restructuring of urban areas, with a focus on "efficient transit-first policies" to strike a harmonious balance between transportation and quality of life. The implementation of mass transit systems emerges as a pivotal strategy to enhance connectivity and mitigate street traffic congestion, thus promoting the development of cities on a larger scale. Mass transit systems not only reinforce public transportation and commute facilities but also reduce dependence on personal vehicles, contributing to overall liveability and walkability along transit corridors and surrounding areas.

The central focus of this paper is to understand the evolving phases of the urban form through proposed mass transit systems. This envisaged urban form is envisioned as a collection of neighbourhoods that are not only pedestrian-friendly and safe but also accessible to all residents. The overarching goal of this study is to unearth the intricate relationship between transit systems and the public realm, with a view to enhancing the quality of life, not only at the neighbourhood level but also at the city-wide scale. Transit-Oriented Development (T.O.D.)[1] plays a pivotal role in shaping urban form and influencing urban mobility. The study broadly aims to scrutinize the emergence of a new urban form and its impact on immediate neighbourhoods. This fresh urban form and built morphology hold the potential to facilitate diverse functions through mixed land use and the cultivation of various activities along the transit corridors.