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Asian cities have increasingly been promoting the creation of walkable built environments as a catalyst for local economic development in global competition. However, the economic influences of pedestrianization are still debatable without sufficient quantitative assessments in Asia's commercialized cityscape along with mega-rail projects, high-rise buildings, and traffic-choked streets. This research examines the net capitalization effects of skywalk network and pedestrian zone schemes on office towers and retail streets using the case of Hong Kong. The sets of hedonic regression models in a quasi-experimental research framework show mixed results. The expansion of skywalk networks produced positive capitalization effects on podium-level office units connected by footbridges near metro rail exits, while having insignificant impacts on street-level retail units. The models also reveal that the implementation of pedestrian zone schemes generated insignificant capitalization effects on street-level retail units regardless of rail proximity. The evidence gives some credence to the notion that the creation of walkable built environments in Asian cities would contribute to capital accumulation through mega-rail plus international office tower projects. However, the findings also infer that pedestrianization initiatives in global competition would lead to neither commercial revitalization nor gentrification on local retail streets around metro rail stations. • The commercial value of pedestrianization in Asian cities is examined • Skywalks generate positive price effects on office towers near rail stations • Both skywalks and zone schemes have no price effects on retail streets • Pedestrinization can contribute to capital accumulation via office towers • Pedestrinization may induce neither retail revitalization nor gentrification [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the links between flow management and retail development in railway stations. Questioning the way in which planners as well as station managers consider the relations between movement and commerciality, it combines theoretical insight and empirical findings at Paris Gare du Nord. In the planning literature, the progress of pedestrian traffic models and the social understanding of passenger behaviour have long been perceived as separate scientific goals. Today, however, the two domains are converging towards a more comprehensive approach, which in recent times has become a crucial aspect of railway competition strategies. In light of this, dynamic mapping conducted over the period 2010-2017 at Paris Gare du Nord shows how railway designers are reorganizing space to foster free movement and consumption. The article concludes with the presentation and discussion of two main principles of station retail planning and design. First, the production of a 'servicescape' through the intensification of nudge strategies. Second, the delivery of a 'stationscape' based on the use of trademarks as landmarks and a three-dimensional design that accentuates the socio-economic fragmentation of space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The load capacity of urban rail transit station is of great significance to provide reference in station design and operation management. However, it is difficult to carry out quantitative calculation quickly and accurately due to the complex interaction among passenger behaviors, facility layout, and the limit capacity of single facility. In this paper, the association network of facilities is set up based on the analysis of passenger service chain in station. Then the concept of cascading failure is introduced to the dynamic calculation model of load capacity, which is established on the user-equilibrium allocation model. The solution algorithm is optimized with node attack strategy of complex network to effectively reduce the computational complexity. Finally, a case study of Lujiabang Road Station in Shanghai is carried out and compared with the simulation results of StaPass, verifying the feasibility of this approach. The proposed method can not only search for the bottleneck of capacity, but also help to trace the loading variation of facilities network in different scenarios, providing theoretical supports on passenger flow organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two important concepts of accessibility are proposed and measured in this paper: the attraction accessibility and the radiation accessibility. The attraction accessibility means the ease of reaching a given station by using certain modes of transport such as walking, bicycle, bus or taxi. The radiation accessibility represents the ease of reaching other stations from the given station. The metro transit system in Xi’an, China was used as a case study to elaborate the proposed concepts of accessibility. It has been found that the station attraction accessibility depends mainly on the walking connection accessibility, so the improvement of walking environment is a key factor in improving the station’s overall accessibility. The transfer stations exhibit the highest level of radiation accessibility while the first/last stations have the lowest. The radiation accessibility of other stations varies widely and depends on their location in the network and the topological depth from the transfer stations. In general, the closer to the middle of the line, the higher the radiation accessibility, whereas the closer to the end of the line, the lower the accessibility. The findings provide decision makers with evidence on how to improve the metro stations’ travel environment and the layout of the metro network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 24-33-m-deep cross excavation of a metro interchange station in Shanghai soft clay has been constructed and monitored for 2 years. The excavation area was 9,000 m² and supported by diaphragm walls. For construction convenience, the excavation was split into four zones (multiple pits) with varied sizes and depths. On the basis of the interpretation of field monitoring data, the following major findings were obtained: (1) the measured wall deflections and ground settlements were smaller compared with those of similar case histories; (2) both jet-grouting and the geometry of pit played a key role in determining pit performance; (3) the location of maximum wall deflection varied dramatically with excavation depth and displayed three patterns; (4) the measured column uplifts were closely related to excavation depth; and (5) the axial forces of most struts were within 40% of design value, indicating safe for the strut system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, railway stations have come to be seen as non-places within society, points of transit and nothing more. The role of the station in place making is disputed with stations seen as both creating and destroying a sense of place within a community. Our study is located within the railway stations of Scotland and explores how local communities have been empowered to reclaim, customise, and re-appropriate stations to simultaneously create a sense of place and better promote their community to the outside world. Drawing on ethnographic research we refute the notion that stations are somehow ‘placeless’. We show how through a process of legitimisation, a sense of ownership and appropriation of the station environment, communities are able to transform the station, improving hedonic value and recapturing a sense of place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes "impression remolding" as the hint of design concept, analyzes uniqueness and correlation of Lijiang Train Station, and also multiple design techniques of integrating regional cultural elements, such as roofi ng cluster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relationship of walk access distance to rapid rail transit (RRT) stations with personal characteristics and station context, specifically in regard to an operated RRT system in the city of Nanjing, China. Both descriptive analysis and regression analysis on the commuter survey are conducted to reveal the association. Descriptive analysis indicates that the walk access distance in the morning peak is longer than that in the afternoon peak. Young commuters walk farther to access to RRT stations than children and older people. The walk access distance decreases with increasing household income. Regression analysis, in particular, on the association between walk access distance and station context suggests that commuters walk farther to reach a terminal station but walk a shorter distance to arrive at a transfer station than to a typical station. The walk access distance to an elevated station is longer than that to an underground station, and an approximately 100-m distance premium does seem to exist. In addition, the radius of the pedestrian catchment area (PCA) of an underground RRT station is about 200-300 m longer than the PCA of bus rapid transit station. Implications of the present study include defining flexible rail transit station's PCAs in estimating urban rail transit (URT) ridership at the station level, optimizing the house location and price premium analysis around URT stations, and identifying the opportunities for transit-oriented development in the PCA of rail stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The configuration of service facilities, such as ticket vending machines, staffed ticket booths, automatic fare gates, and escalators, is an important issue for the plan and design of rail transit stations. Reasonable configuration of service facilities is based on a good understanding of the passenger traffic characteristics of such service facilities, which are affected by passenger characteristics, station types, and facility performance. To study the passenger traffic characteristics of service facilities, five stations are selected in Shanghai, and their passenger traffic data are collected and analyzed. In this study, the results indicate that service-time frequencies of ticket vending machines and staffed ticket booths follow Weibull distribution and exponential distribution, respectively, and that the headway of passengers passing the automatic fare gate under ideal conditions follows normal distribution. According to the service time and headway distributions of ticket-selling facilities and automatic fare gates, the derived capacities of ticket vending machines, staffed ticket booths, and automatic fare gates are 137, 186, 253, 368, and , respectively. In addition, theoretical analysis and field survey of escalators show that escalator capacity is between 4,700 and . It is found that the capacities of ticket-selling facilities and escalators in this study are far lower than those in China's design codes. The capacity of automatic fare gates in this study is a little lower than that in China's code; however, it is a little greater than that from the corresponding U.S. capacity manual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depending on the assumption that buildings play the fundamental role in the formation of cities and their image, this study investigates the contribution of the Train Station to the formation of Ankara and its image in the early years of the Turkish Republic. The spatial entity of the station reflected the intended modern identity of the new state. Orienting the movement and development within its setting, the building constituted an indispensable element of the structure of the city. It acted as an immediate stimulus for the perception of the city and as a mediator for the creation of city’s image. As a building of prestige, it accommodated contemporary practices and provided civilized conditions for the whole public. Consequently, the station had a significant effect on the social and spatial formation and mental re-formation of Ankara. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]