Equilibrium or imbalance? Rail Transit and Land Use Mix in Station Areas
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Date
2023
Subject Area
place - asia, place - urban, mode - rail, infrastructure - station, land use - impacts, land use - planning
Keywords
Rail transit, Land use mix, Spatial variations, Tianjin
Abstract
Although it is widely reported that rail transit has the potential to encourage higher density development, it remains unclear whether rail transit leads to more mixed urban development across station areas. This article provides rare quantitative analysis of changes in land use mix around the rail transit system in Tianjin, China through an investigation into the spatial effects of a rail transit line which cuts across both highly developed and less developed areas. By using longitudinal data over a twelve-year period (2004–2016) and by comparing the entropy-based land-use mix index, the study shows that with the operation of rail transit, land use mix has increased in formerly low-mixed station catchments, but the change is not obvious for already highly diverse areas. It also shows that a more balanced development occurs in station areas with higher land use dominance, while the leading functions are intensified in station areas with lower land use dominance. By presenting a clear picture of the spatial distribution and patterns of land use mix changes over time, this article concludes that rail transit leads to more balanced development across different station areas in the context of China’s rapid urbanization. The outcome provides a base for further exploring how the planning of rail transit stations may help tackle the differentiated development in cities.
Rights
Permission to publish the abstract has been given by SpringerLink, copyright remains with them.
Recommended Citation
Wang, Y., Lu, D., & Levinson, D. (2023). Equilibrium or imbalance? Rail Transit and Land Use Mix in Station Areas. Transportation, 50(6), 2403-2421.
