FoC_URBAN URBAN ELEMENT- Transportation

Most commonly these journeys are made by middle-age professionals travelling to their company’s head offices, which were increasingly developed closer to central train stations, but journeys are also made by those visiting cities for their unique social and cultural offerings. These journeys are predominantly made on high-speed, comfortable and sustainably powered trains. Secondly, those living in the densified inner cities now travel on foot, cycle and by public transport even more so than 20 years ago. Large areas of our city cores are now pedestrianised with no access or parking for cars. There is a greater proportion of residential accommodation in city centres and, in larger cities, a range of amenities are located close by to serve these populations. City centre roads are now much more pleasant to navigate on bicycle and electric scooter; air pollution is now largely a thing of the past due to the adoption of greener vehicles. Pavements are much wider and shielded from public transport vehicles by urban greening measures.

All of this means that there is sustained demand for high speed rail links between major cities and commuter towns but less frequent travel on many suburban routes, some secondary line services became unviable in the late 2020s. At the point of disembarking most of us now travel on foot or by electronically fuelled public transport; taxis are rarely used anymore. Most UK cities now have integrated public transport systems with Oyster-Card-like methods of switching modes. In an increasing number of cases, local authorities have been able to repurpose redundant railways and roads into linear urban parks and walkways such as the Camden to Kings Cross Highline. However, it has been challenging to adapt much of our outmoded transport infrastructure to meet the needs of a world which travels now very differently. And of course, as the hierarchy of transport nodes have shifted relevance, land values have adjusted accordingly.

URBAN ELEMENT: Transportation

2 Cushman & Wakefield | Future of Cities |