ABSTRACT

Transit infrastructure and facilities play an anchoring role in urban opportunity – especially into the medium-term horizon and beyond. This chapter reviews three distinct examples of urban regeneration focused around transit infrastructure and facilities of regional and even national significance.

The role of mass transit service and infrastructure in urban regeneration should be widely accepted by now. But certain important aspects of transit-centric development and planning remain somewhat opaque to non-specialists. It is suggested in this chapter that transit service levels, and the design quality of station facilities are two key determinants of the ability to deliver regionally significant regeneration. Greater emphasis should be placed on these facets when urbanists approach new regeneration initiatives. Three summary Pacific Rim case studies are presented here alongside broader discussion of the importance of transit planning, service, infrastructure, property market concepts, and design in urban regeneration.

First, Berkeley, California is presented as a vehicle to discuss the relationship between existing transit service quality and new initiatives for improving housing options – a process currently unfolding in the ‘Downtown’ area.

Second, Parramatta, in Sydney’s central-West, presents one of the few truly noteworthy urban renewal programs in the Australian context. In infrastructure terms, Parramatta’s repositioning from a low-rent location into a major business and activity centre revolves around its robust connections to downtown Sydney, coupled with a well-executed station design, and office-based real estate development momentum.

Third, Kyoto is one of Japan’s most significant cities and a major heritage and tourism destination. A world-class station redevelopment during the late 1990s has significantly repositioned the sense of arrival to the city, while also reorganising the relationship between inter-city (and national level) rail services and the urban fabric of a 1,000 year old city. In this case, the multi-use station is itself the primary element of urban renewal.