| TOD is a process of reconnecting transportation and land use that helps future sustainable development of cities,enhancing transport,society,and the environment to manage the currently available resources.Thus,this dissertation aims to provide a complete picture of transit-oriented development(TOD).It establishes the TOD index along the East-West line of the light rail transit stations of Addis Ababa.The major questions of this dissertation address: first,what are the criteria and indicators for evaluating the TOD level of Addis Ababa? Second,how to integrate the indicators of TOD level into a comparable potential TOD index? What is the use of the TOD index? Third,based on the potential of the TOD index,what is the level of TODness of the Addis Ababa E-W light rail transit line,and where requires the TOD improvement or TOD development? The first research question draws on several works of literature on identifying the TOD indicators and the feasibility of getting the data.According to the scale of the study and aligned with the adopted list of measuring TOD indicators,all related data were collected from primary and secondary data.The second research question is how to evaluate the level of TODness around transit areas,using the 5D indicators,and converting it into a TOD index.An evaluation method for the TOD index is developed based on the 5D(density,diversity,distance to transit,destination accessibility,and design)built environment framework of the 22 stations in Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit.The third research question focuses on the suggestion of enhancing sustainable TOD strategies around transit nodes.The analysis first focuses on the 800 m radius area around each fixed station along the central corridor of the E-W line.Major emphasis is placed on what TOD indicators influence the stations.The method used in this dissertation measures the level of TODness of a transit station based on the mentioned indicators.1)High-density development near the stations makes transits convenient and encourages ridership.2)Diverse use of activities creates a more balanced and consistent flow of ridership throughout the day.3)Destination accessibility makes balanced use of activities in relation to residential area and also increase accessibility.4)Distance to transit enhances accessibility to public transit areas and creates healthier and walk-able neighborhoods.5)Design plays a significant role in creating user-friendly environments by encouraging pedestrians and bike users.The interplay of these indicators distinguishes each station’s development potential and helps create a series of TOD index scores.The score helps to investigate stations with higher as well as lower TOD indexes.The contribution of different criteria and indicators of the TOD index are different.It is essential to find out the proportion of composing the TOD index.Twelve experts from urban planning and transport-related fields were invited to finish questionnaires to rank the criteria and indicators that formulate the TOD index.Hence,the pairwise comparison method converts the ranking into actual weight.Each station will be categorized according to the potential TOD development aspects by coordinating the outcomes and the TOD index’s score.To compute each indicator into the level of the TODness index,the Geo-processing model was developed using the Spatial Multi-Criteria Analysis(SMCA)tool to categorize the preformed set of indicators into a composite index map.Therefore,constructive consequences were found by comparing stations with each other.After assessing the performance of the TOD index at each transit station,it revealed that the stations located around the CBD where commercial activities are highly concentrated are more efficient than those located at the periphery of the city.The final TOD index results are ranked into four categories depending on the current characteristics of each transit station.Depending on these results,stations that accommodate transits to different modes of transportation have scored a high TOD index.Due to the characteristics of the developments around the nodes,scores for individual criteria such as land-use diversity and density are high.Also,the transit service for these stations is comparatively high compared to the other stations.These stations comparatively have a maximum development among all the stations,but they still hold potential for improvements.The second category stations intersect the city’s central corridor,connecting the urban and suburban areas with the transit system.Third category stations are close enough to the high growth centers,yet they have low TOD scores.The characteristics of category four of stations are more like suburban areas,dominated by low-density residents in the outer district of the city.The scores of the TOD index dropped significantly because of the extreme importance in the indicator of land-use diversity and density within walking distance of the stations.The results indicate that the rise in density,commercial floor area,pedestrian volume,and integration of different modes of transport improves the efficiency of TOD.Thus,findings help draw a new TOD policy for the city transportation system.At the same time,this dissertation could help decision-makers allocate and prioritize different development approaches within Addis Ababa’s transit network to achieve a sustainable TOD.Therefore,depending on the results,the dissertation recommended guidelines of the TOD designs suitable for the city of Addis Ababa context.The recommendation for the top5 ranked stations,TOD policy,should focus on improving density,diversity,pedestrian connectivity,connection,parking,and user-friendliness.For category two and three stations,almost all stations should improve the density,diversity,open space,parking,pedestrian and cycling orientation,and user-friendliness.An improvement in the latter should mean an increase in the development of TOD for better accessibility and functionality of the node.The last four stations should develop new TOD areas starting within 400 meters of walking distance from the station.New transit-oriented development should be incorporated into those stations.Thus,it can be seen how a TOD index can be used to make TOD planning by comparing stations located in the different parts of the city.Therefore,planners and designers should focus on the detailed criteria and indicators before proposing TOD for a node.The dissertation also recommends a great innovation focusing on sustainable transportation dimensions and green urbanism.As TOD is a sustainable tool to enhance transport development,a study shows the lack of environmental and ecological consideration in its development.Therefore,to enhance environmental and ecological aspects in the designing new TOD policy,natural energy,recycling,and reuse,enhance a better life in ecology diversity,and livable habitat should be incorporated.Therefore,the dissertation introduces and summarizes the concept of Green TOD.The concept of green transit-oriented developments is the ideal combination of Green Urbanism and TOD.The concept of this Green TOD can enhance the living environment and standard of a place.It is seen as the best experience in designing TOD around transit stations,as it combines sustainable development with nature,uses renewable energy,recycling to zero waste with high-quality public transit.Therefore,green-based transit-oriented development can considerably protect the environmental area around transit stations.The benefits of green TOD can decrease expenses,reduce energy use,reduce asphalted paved space(green space),increase recycled waste,and use renewable energies.The dissertation explores the urban development of St.Estifanos TOD development located along the East-West LRT line,in proximity to the city’s public square(Meskel square),the national stadium,palace,St.Estifanos church,and Africa Park.Thus,the dissertation proposed green transit-oriented development for the urban regeneration of the St.Estifanos neighborhood,based on the concept of Green TOD,by incorporating both TOD and green urbanism. |
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