UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE & PLANNING

KASHMERE GATE, NEW DELHI

G.G.S.I.P.U

THESIS REPORT

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT STRATEGIES

Under the guidance of

PROF. VIJAY MATANGE

Submitted by

HIMANSHU SALUJA
0041731605 / B.ARCH
 Acknowledgement

The journey has been long and there have been numerous co-pilots. I’d like to

thank all of them. First of all I would like to express my indebtedness towards my

computer and the world wide web, which stood by me at each and every second of my

academic semester and after him, my parents and friends who have been instrumental in

shaping me as I am.

I’d like to thank Prof. Vijay Matange, my guide, who was persistent, patient and

considerate towards my idea and for planting all the seeds in my mind, directly or

indirectly.

I would also like to thank our coordinator Prof. Ashok Lal for his consistent

guidance and update of the study, and for his immense support and consistent guidance

that was never short of encouragement whenever it was needed the most.

I’d like to thank Priyanshu Jain, Sugeet Grover, Vishakha Varshney, and Divya

Makhijani who have been constantly the source of new ideas and who gave me

invaluable inputs. And it would not have been possible without USAP and its walls and

its memories.

And a special thanks to Google.

 UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING

KASHMERE GATE

Delhi

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT STRATEGIES

Certificate of Approval

The following study is hereby approved as a creditable work, carried out and presented in

a manner sufficiently satisfactory to warrant its acceptance.

It is to be understood that by this approval, the undersigned do not necessarily endorse or

approve any statement made, opinion expressed or conclusions drawn therein, but

approve the study only for the purpose for which it is submitted and satisfies itself as to

the requirements laid down by the committee.

Name of Student Name of the Guide

Himanshu Saluja Vijay Matange

Contents:

Preface ……..……..……..……..…….. 1

Chapter 1:
Introduction ……..……..……..……..…….. 4

Chapter 2:
The Site ……..……..……..……..…….. 9

Chapter 3:
Urban Design Proposal ……..……..……..……..…….. 14

Chapter 4:
Some Case Studies ……..……..……..……..…….. 21

Chapter 5:
Contemplating the transport hub ……..……..……..……..…….. 27

Chapter 6:
Final Design ……..……..……..……..…….. 35

Bibliography ……..……..……..……..…….. 38

Annexure ……..……..……..……..…….. 40

Sustainable Transport Strategies Contents

Preface
 Saluja│2

Nearly 14 million people live in New Delhi alone and the population is still on the rise. 1
Millions go to work every day within the city, thousands of trucks bring supplies to the
city, and trainloads of vegetables from all over the country are brought in to support the
ever growing populace of Delhi. One can imagine the strain on infrastructure.

Fig 0.1: Comparison of populations and densities

With such high levels of populations, transportation is vital to the operation of the city.
The city itself is horizontally spread such that infrastructure spreads too thin in just
trying to create a barebones framework of transport and basic services. Spreading over
such a huge area is rarely justified but these are bare minimum services and thus the tax
payer pays through the nose for them.

Delhi is expanding. Millions more will migrate to Delhi in less than a decade. 2 We need
to find space and spread the city further, but how? The infrastructure is already feeble

1
National capital Territory occupies an area of 1,483 sq km and has a population of nearly 14 million with
the population of New Delhi alone exploding to 11,680,000.
Delhi is considered to be the second largest metropolitan city next to Mumbai with approximately
1,38,50,507 people dwelling in New Delhi according to Census 2001.
2
According to Census 2001, the population of New Delhi together with Delhi as a whole has ascended to
46.3% in 1991-2001. The up rise in the population of New Delhi is mainly due to the migration of people
to the capital, expected to rise to 40% by 2021.

Sustainable Transport Strategies Preface

 Saluja│3

as it is. It already takes more than an hour just to travel across. How much farther can
we expand?

Our transportation network poses problems. The culprit here is not just congestion
although it remains to be the most prominent. There are problems where destinations
prove so far away yet within the city. Children don’t play outside anymore, failing to
identify with the neighborhood flooded with cars. Pollution increases day by day
degrading the quality of life. Pedestrians and cyclists are a dying breed.

The city only aims to address the problem of congestion by building better and wider
roads, but this too doesn’t last long as better roads just induce more demand and more
cars pile up eventually clogging the same. Thus, the only solution the city came up with
is just a short term one.

It seems imperative that we need a newer city model which fulfills these requirements
and also creates a transport infrastructure. This ambition fuels the thesis, towards a
better and more responsible urban and architectural design.

An opportunity has arisen near Dwarka and Bijwasan to be the next mini-Gurgaon which
will be the objective of this thesis.

This thesis will be conducted in two phases. The first phase spread over the first three
chapters will detail out the urban development plan needed to chalk out the city-town
to its potential whereas the second phase covered within the next three chapters
culminates in the architectural design of a multi-modal transport hub responsible for
catalyzing development within the area. The latter cannot continue without planning
the former as a multi-modal hub plays a pivoting role in the growth of the city and must
be taken first into account at an urban scale.

This thesis isn’t an attempt to create a model, ideal or prototype city to be replicated
like a module nor does it attempt to instruct the methodology of planning such. It is
merely an attempt to provide resolution to some design strategies, at both urban and
the architectural level.

Sustainable Transport Strategies Preface

Chapter 1

Introduction
Chapter 1 Saluja│5

The city as a model of people to share resources has been a model that is both
sustainable and robust. The traditional model of the city has always been one of very
high densities of people who share common resources as a means to be sustainable.
Value of sustainability was evident in a society where instant transportation of
resources wasn’t feasible.
Thus, the population cut down on its transportation footprint. Goods were locally
produced and consumed unlike today’s global economy. Infrastructure too was saved
upon as it did not seem to spread in too big an area when the community itself had a
small footprint.

Such cities have always, within their design strategy, imbibed strong guidelines of
decentralized but dense resource planning, effective for tackling larger urban pressures
it experiences as it grows, much due to the fact that
 People were not dependent on any major nodes that may then suffocate due to
high urban pressures. This suffocation was seen right after the MCD sealing drive
when everyone rushed to their nearest nodes creating huge traffic jams and
unprecedented demands on infrastructure.
 Most trips were very small as most people either worked from their homes or
lived near their workplaces. Such a model can be generated by the high density
mixed land use these people acquired.
 Due to the unavailability of motorized vehicles, most of the city was pedestrian
friendly and within walking distances.

Such high densities however, create an immense load on infrastructure if not properly
designed for. Yet, demands were to generate a sound infrastructure supporting high
densities of population in only a small area, resulting in lower resources used per capita
and at a lesser cost per person.

Modern cities, on the other hand, require more than just this infrastructure. People
have come to expect certain services as basic rights of residents. Also the city seems to
have grown too big for it to sustain itself without mechanized transport. So the above
discussed strategies might be very efficient but a modern city still needs much more.
Since this thesis is essentially a discussion on transport planning, one very important
aspect of the modern city must be taken into account;
Modern cities are viable only when its transportation demands are met.

Sustainable Transport Strategies Introduction

Chapter 1 Saluja│6

Case Study: New York

New York has been one of the most successful cities in the world known not only for its
thriving economy but also a great place to live and a major tourist destination. The
population of the city is estimated at about 19 million people living and working in an
area of about 790 square kilometers. 3 That is about 240 people living per hectare of
land. Not only is it one of the densest cities in the US but also one of the wealthiest.
This city compares well to the traditional model of the city and expands to it. New York
enjoys certain unique privileges due to such planning.

 Tax Base Utilization:

FARs in New York easily reaches 10 times the area given for development. This
high population density ensures that the city earns more from a given patch of
land as compared to the similar land with lower population densities and thus
enables them to provide much more infrastructures in a cost-effective manner.

 Higher Ridership:
Higher densities also allow for higher ridership and footfalls thus ensuring
profitability and better usage, and at the same time making the transport
infrastructure more and more accessible to a larger number of people.

 Public Transport:
New York has developed an array of options for transportation of people and
goods all within the public domain. They have one of the largest subway systems
in the world interwoven with the routes of an efficient bus system. Logistics are
handled by trucks and via the port, well regulated by the city for maximum
efficiency. The internal streets of the city are modeled for pedestrianism and
cyclists are also encouraged by virtue of the street design.

 Discouraging private vehicle ownership:

New York charges a hefty amount on parking spaces, which discourages the use
of private cars as the general public is unable to afford the parking rents. This
strategy works in conjunction with making the city infrastructure safer for the
cyclist and pedestrian to support feasible public transport facilities which meet
expectations.

 Forays towards resource independence:

Locally grown fruit and vegetable farming in the vicinity of the city are subsidized
and encouraged to reduce dependence and thus reducing imports. The city is
also looking for similar forays to reduce their dependence on a variety of other
resources such as energy.

3
Source: US Census Bureau, Population Division

Sustainable Transport Strategies Introduction

Chapter 1 Saluja│7

Case Study: London

The city of London has a long and complex history that stretches back for about 2000
years. It was one of the first in the world to witness the after-effects of the industrial
revolution which soon relinquished any limitations available resources and mobility
exercised on its population and the horizontal spread of the city.
The city itself was however based on a centralized planning strategy which soon became
redundant once population started growing to the immense proportions that
threatened London to come to a standstill.

The solution to their problem was two-fold.

 Decentralization:
Their first solution was based loosely on how a traditional city handled such
problems. The city created satellite towns in counties around that of London. But
these were not ordinary suburbs but fully fledged townships each deliberately
kept independent of London in terms of education, employment opportunities,
recreation and of course living.

 Public Transport:
The second solution envisaged was that of bringing public transport into the
domain of the city and regulate and even restrict usage of private vehicles
through policies such as fee zones. The world’s first subway system was
introduced and mixed land use was regulated. Such was aimed at bringing
pedestrianism and planned mobility within the city with the object of a
pedestrian identifying with the city.

The results of their efforts are quite evident from the picture of London we see today.
London has grown to be a fitting city and as a symbol of Britain’s economic prowess.

Sustainable Transport Strategies Introduction

Chapter 1 Saluja│8

These case studies confirm the notion that almost every city built before the
introduction of the car was a high density city where people would live near work and
the streets were safe enough to be walked upon without being under constant threat of
being trampled by a car.

The sustainable nature of civilization that we soon forgot after our first tryst with
industrialization and globalization has to be brought back into the balance. We face yet
another time where judicious utilization of resources holds high merit.

It is also quite self-explanatory that these cities had to accommodate their growing
populations not by horizontal nodal development such as Delhi, rather a decentralized
vision of high density urban fabric which pays for its own infrastructure quite efficiently
and the high amount of people ensure that the infrastructure is well within the budget
and highly justified.

However, the infrastructure that caters now to millions of people had to be built before
there were those millions of people to begin with. In other words, development
preceding demands at such a large scale so as to induce demand at particular junctions
within the timeline of the city, effectively shaping how the city grows.

Opportunities to plan ahead and induce aforesaid demand on infrastructure is what

should drive a city’s planning department although such are few and in between. One
such rare opportunity has been brought to focus in this thesis.

Sustainable Transport Strategies Introduction

Chapter 2

The Site
Chapter 2 Saluja│10

The Promised Land seems to spread from an urban village of Bijwasan to Dwarka’s
periphery. Thus it sees high contrasts in the lifestyles of their respective residents. This
majorly residential area is also adjacent to the IGI airport although the airport refuses to
interact with the area directly.

We see a variety of widely different characteristics of these places because of their land
uses. On one hand we have Bijwasan which is Lal Dora land. It houses a sleepy
settlement not quite familiar with the effects and demands of urban life. It is truly a
mixed land use community where people live near their workplaces and pedestrianism
is practiced encouragingly. The settlement seems least dependent on Delhi for most
employment or recreational opportunities.

In contrast, Dwarka is majorly residential zoned by the MCD and thus highly dependent
on Delhi for most resources or employment opportunities. Thus far, most of it is
connected by roads and Delhi Metro but the model forces people to travel large
distances to accommodate their needs.

The site also boasts of large tracts of agricultural land sprinkled with some rural
settlements within the region and is strategically placed between the NH-8 and
Najafgarh Expressway (under construction)

This situation is now expected to change by some recent proposals by the government
where infrastructure to support an even larger number of people than we witness
today.
Metro lines need to expand their web of transport services as they propose two lines,
the first one being the airport express line proceeding to Gurgaon and the second one
being the Dwarka line to continue westward to the convention centre. Both are
proposed as underground routes. They’ll meet at a singular station next to the airport,
an interchange if you may call it that.
The second foray seems to be of the Railways, which have, in an attempt to reduce
pressures on New Delhi Railway Station, proposed a major railway station along the
Northern Railway lines cutting through this area.
Complementing these two proposals, planning is underway for an ISBT for the area
which also is to be built within this site.

Tracking down these proposals on a map, one can argue that they are far too close not
to be integrated into a single hub which would further facilitate people and aid in using
and changing different modes of public transportation thus making it more convenient
to use. But the government agencies are far too timid to actually step on each other’s
site and collaborate on a project of such a large scale.

There should also be design initiatives to integrate such a project to the transport
infrastructure and public transport of the whole region to maximize output from the
investment.

Sustainable Transport Strategies The Site

Chapter 2 Saluja│11

As of now, the government’s motive appears not to relieve these people but rather to
help Delhi ease its urban pressures. Nonetheless, it is an opportunity we just cannot let
go. It is the opportunity in this corner of the city for a planned initiative for development
before demand model.

It is apparent what such a project, even if done in the piecemeal manner our
government tries, will affect the urban landscape of this part of the city like never
before. The induced demands in such a scale will catalyze development in the region
and bring in more and more people in this region.

Right now, no efforts are going on to consolidate and use the area to its potential. There
is no indication that the government will change land use of the region to accommodate
the speedy development of the region. Government will term all developments here as
illegal and refuse to regulate, resulting in ad-hoc development practices.

Fig 2.1: Proposals too disjointed at the time being

Kalkaji is a prime example where government refused (or ignored) the need for
commercial activity in the area believing that Nehru Place will suffice. C ommercial areas
developed illegally and later they had to be given a legal commercial status because of
the overwhelming demand of such a demand. But due to the unregulated growth in
Kalkaji, the area barely functions properly due to large pressures on its old

Sustainable Transport Strategies The Site

Chapter 2 Saluja│12

infrastructure. UTEPEC has tried in various programs to develop newer infrastructure,

but it just doesn’t seem plausible after development.
Thus there is an imminent need to develop infrastructure in the area prior to loading it
with development.

Fig 2.2: Road infrastructure too weak to support such a development

Another very important demand posed by the area is to connect it via proper high speed
linkages to Delhi, Gurgaon and Dwarka. The present conditions are pretty strained by
themselves and just cannot sustain further development.

A design proposal will be sought in the next chapter which will be derived from the
discussion in the Chapter 1 and will include local solutions talked about in this chapter.
Such a city model will then accommodate the multi-modal transport hub.

Sustainable Transport Strategies The Site

Chapter 2 Saluja│13

NH-8

Airport

Dwarka Bijwasan
Proposed
site

Fig 2.3: Existing Site

Sustainable Transport Strategies The Site

Chapter 3

Urban Design Proposal

Chapter 3 Saluja│15

The urban design proposal aims at making the region suitable and prepared for the
multi-modal transport hub proposed on the site and the development which will
inevitably follow. The concepts of flexibility and inclusivity will be the prime focus of the
design which will follow the framework set by the previous chapters.

The very first intervention will be to connect the site via high speed road links to
Gurgaon, Dwarka and Delhi. Such will enable the transport of people and logistics
without restrictions to and about the hub and also make this a satellite town well
connected with the city.
Such will be accomplished with the help of an overlapping freeway and expressway
system the first of which will connect NH-8 to the Najafgarh Expressway. Segregation of
traffic within lanes will be carried out based not on the type of transport but rather the
speed of the vehicle to ensure that slower vehicles do not intrude upon the fast moving
lanes to slow down traffic.
Such a segregation would also ensure local and through traffic be kept along the same
road but in different lanes.

Fig 3.1: Proposed freeways and Expressways

Sustainable Transport Strategies Urban Design Proposal

Chapter 3 Saluja│16

Providing a framework of roads leading up to the freeway system would help in dividing
various sectors. Here the constraints will be that of distance travelled on foot. Thus, no
sector will be allowed to grow more than 500 meters wide, ensuring that a major road is
available at every 250 meters of walking. Enabling this pedestrianism would also boost
public transport’s demand and lower the number of vehicles on local roads.

Fig 3.2: Pedestrian sectors with room for expansion of villages

Sustainable Transport Strategies Urban Design Proposal

Chapter 3 Saluja│17

A dedicated one-way link will be sought to the transport hub to segregate its usage and
facilitate flexibility when in need for up-gradation in the future.

Again, to induce availability of public transport, some major roads will be converted to
special BRT lanes of a right of way of 65 meters. However, these would be kept parallel
to our system of freeways and expressways such that they would be used by choice and
not by compulsion. This will also drive traffic out of these BRT lanes making it safer yet
again for pedestrians and cyclists.
These major roads will however provide room for the urban villages within this region to
expand if needed.

Fig 3.3: Introduction of BRT and dedicated one way link

Sustainable Transport Strategies Urban Design Proposal

Chapter 3 Saluja│18

Following this hierarchy of roads, we will reach down to the very blocks via local roads.
These blocks, kept apart by aforesaid local roads have been kept at a flexible grid size of
100 by 125 meters, a grid size derived by analyzing various grids of New York and
London among other major cities and are quite capable of sustaining low rise-high
density developments.

Fig 3.4: Introduction of grid and green corridors

Sustainable Transport Strategies Urban Design Proposal

Chapter 3 Saluja│19

This thesis also proposes letting go of the earlier mindset of segregated zoning in a plan
and introduce if we can, vertical zoning. Traditional zoning is disbanded within this
proposal and aforementioned blocks will be regulated such that all blocks will be termed
as mixed land use but some will bear a bigger commercial versus residential ratio that
the rest.
The concept evolves on existing mixed land usage and divides it further to highly
commercial, intermediary commercial and sparsely commercial mixed land use.
Lastly, the initiative is to introduce green corridors to connect various villages spread
within the area in a bid to preserve their social ties among each other and make
pedestrianism and cycling from one village to the other plausible.

Fig 3.5: Introduction of zoning

Sustainable Transport Strategies Urban Design Proposal

Chapter 3 Saluja│20

NH-8

Unified
Transport Hub
Dwarka Bijwasan

Fig 3.5: Proposed Plan

Sustainable Transport Strategies Urban Design Proposal
Chapter 4

Some case-studies
Chapter 4 Saluja│22

This chapter discusses the various design strategies to be used for the creation and
subsequent construction of a multi-modal transport hub, the purpose of which shall be
met through various case studies.

Case Study: Zurich Airport, Switzerland

(Vertical Separation)

For over 30 years, Zurich Airport has boasted integration of air travel with the European
rail network, by the location beneath the landside complex of the airport of a through
rail station. One step to enhance the modal interchange experience was the
experimental introduction in the late 1970s of baggage trolleys that could be safely

Fig 4.1: Zurich Airport: diagram of

terminals based on Unique Airport
website.
taken on the escalators delving to the subterranean rail station. Measured against the
airport’s passenger handling capacity 30 years ago of 6 million passengers per year, its

Sustainable Transport Strategies Some Case Studies

Chapter 4 Saluja│23

accessibility by rail was exceptional. The airport now handles well over 20 million
passengers per year.

Trains make the 10-minute trip to Zurich main station every 10 minutes. Public transport
is used by 52% of passengers and 20% of airport employees. New piers in 1975, 1985
and 2003 have increased capacity, which is expected to reach 35 million by 2010 4.

A study by Hamburg-Harburg Technical University 5 in 2003 focused on the landside

accessibility of Zurich Airport, demonstrating how rail service replaces feeder flights,
extends the catchment area, relieves traffic on surrounding roads and increases
reliability of access time. Noting the present modal split of 50% by public transport, not
only an aim but a condition of the operation of the airport, the study makes specific
recommendations to enhance rail accessibility. This is measured by increasing the
population within one hour from approximately 1.7 million as at present to 3 million or
even 4 million by 2020 if Zurich and Euro Airport (Basel-Mulhouse) are linked by high-
speed train.

4
Arnet, O. and Brunner, A. (2002). Swiss bliss. Passenger Terminal World Annual Technology Showcase
Issue
5
Wagner, T. (2003). Landside Accessibility Report. European Centre of Transport and Logistics, TU
Hamburg-Harburg

Sustainable Transport Strategies Some Case Studies

Chapter 4 Saluja│24

Case Study: Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport, France

(Contiguity)

This airport has developed over a period of 30 years since the first terminal opened.
The famous hollow-drum-shaped terminal is now quite separate from the parts of
Terminal 2.

Terminal 2 comprises six modular terminals built over a period of over 20 years. The first
four are Terminals 2A to 2D, each with approximately six contact gates, and these were
followed by the contiguous railway station surmounted by a hotel. The rail tracks at low
level intersect the axis of the terminal buildings. Two more terminals, numbered 2E and
2F, have been developed beyond the rail station.

Fig 4.2: Terminal 1 aerial view, inflexible but intended to multiply

(Courtesy of Aeroports de Paris).

Sustainable Transport Strategies Some Case Studies

Chapter 4 Saluja│25

Case Study: Lyon St Exupéry Airport, France

(Linked adjacent via a moving walkway)

This airport has developed much (and been renamed in 2000 after the writer and
aviator to commemorate the centenary of his birth, having previously been called Lyon
Satolas) since opening in 1975. The airport is operated, like all provincial airports in
France, by the local Chamber of Commerce as concessionaire in contract with the
French government.

The original terminals were designed by Guillaume Gillet with a curved plan shape, the
smaller as the Terminal National and the larger as the Terminal International. Then the
TGV station was added in the early 1990s, connected to the terminals by moving
walkways. The TGV station provides 18 high-speed trains per day, half serving Paris
within 110 minutes. The most recent project is the complete remodeling and extension
of Terminal 2, formerly the domestic terminal, to take all traffic of Groupe Air France.
This work was completed in 2003, and rounded off a program to raise the airport’s
annual capacity from 4 million to 8 million passengers per year.

Fig 4.3: Lyon St Exupéry Airport: aerial photomontage showing two terminals
and TGV station (Courtesy of CRB Architectes and Scott Brownrigg Ltd).

Sustainable Transport Strategies Some Case Studies

Chapter 4 Saluja│26

Case Study: Luton Airport, UK

(Linked Remote)

Interchange – national railway station linked to terminal building by 2 km shuttle bus

route with potential for people-mover. The airport now handles 5.5 million scheduled
flight passengers per year (2002 figure) and this is attributable to the advent of ‘no-frills’
airline easyJet in 1995. Prior to this, the throughput of scheduled traffic was 10% of the
2002 figure. 6

Facilities were improved in 1999 with the opening of the new Departures Terminal
illustrated in Figure 6.110, together with the new eastern apron. Rail access has been
possible since 2001 with the construction of Luton Parkway Station on the main line
from St Pancras to the Midlands and served by Thameslink trains running through
London from north to south; a 2-kilometre bus ride takes passengers from rail station to
airport terminal.

Fig 4.4: Luton Airport: map linking station and airport.

6
London-luton.co.uk/pdf/download website (2003). Surface access strategy, July

Sustainable Transport Strategies Some Case Studies

Chapter 5

Contemplating the
Transport hub
Chapter 5 Saluja│28

These studies put in concrete terms what a transport hub’s design criterion should be.
Complementing them with local demands and municipal regulations would give a form
to any vague ideas I may have had before.

To enumerate:

Linearity
All transportation mechanisms discussed and studied were always built parallel to the
station, i.e. railway platforms will always be put up parallel to the railway line and bus
stations will always be parallel to the road.
On a corollary note, if all transport mechanisms are aligned, then the resultant woul d be
highly efficient by sharing the most surface area with the mechanisms in question.

Thus, a rudimentary form of planning emerges where all mechanisms are to be aligned
parallel to each other with the common areas to be shared.

Fig 5.1:
Linearit
y of
Transpo
rt
Mechan
isms

Sustainable Transport Strategies Contemplating the Transport Hub

Chapter 5 Saluja│29

Vertical separation
An excellent concept stating that when a common area has to be shared, why only
bother with just two dimensions. Vertical separation allows maximum utilization of the
common area or the concourse as it may be called henceforth by utilizing more of its
surface area.

Another valid point in our conjecture of the transport hub as it is realized that even the
mechanisms themselves are not laid flat on the ground, rather they could be above or
below ground as well (like a metro).

Fig 5.2:
Vertical
Seperati
on and
Overlap
s

Sustainable Transport Strategies Contemplating the Transport Hub

Chapter 5 Saluja│30

Contiguity, flexibility and modularity

The city grows over time, and so arises the need for infrastructure to do the same. It
must cope up with demands by making plans for the future and acting upon them in due
time. But not all future predictions come true, thus we need to imbibe some flexibility in
our designs to cater to this uncertainty.

When used in this particular design, it means that typical modules like that of parking
are standardized and meant to be repeated as demands grow for them. The growth,
however, could be vertical, i.e. adding new floors to the resource, or horizontal i.e.
adding newer modules horizontally sitting next to each other.
This could also help the entire terminal grow if need for it arises by standardizing most
functions.

Added advantages of such design strategies would be that of economical efficiencies

and time saved during construction.

Fig 5.3:
Modularity

Sustainable Transport Strategies Contemplating the Transport Hub

Chapter 5 Saluja│31

Linked Remote
This advantage is present within the site itself.
One of the metro routes is the Airport Expressway slated for completion soon, thus
linking the terminal, its railway station, and its ISBT to the airport although indirectly.
With no design intervention required for the same, it still has to be kept in mind that the
terminal now has to cater to international travelers too, thus raising the bar.

Public Transportation
The main aim of this terminal is to develop and maintain the option of public
transportation as a viable one. Thus, we need another bus terminal, unlike that of the
ISBT to cater to the local populace. This justified addition to the design criterion is not
present within the list of proposals the government wishes to attain as they are not yet
thinking of integration of the local population within the terminal’s working.

Transparency and way-finding

The resultant terminal will no doubt be one of much larger magnitude than just a
railway station, just a metro terminal or just an ISBT. Such scales make it very easy for
passengers to lose their way or become confused as to the direction of their destination.

The priority we gave to a linear configuration of terminals is also adopted in many cases
as a strategy for proper way-finding. Coupling it with transparency allows travelers to
easily view their destination and move accordingly. In this case, if the traveler can see
where the bus terminal is, he shall not need to waste time looking for a map of the
terminal or bother asking for directions.

Fig 5.4:
Transp
arency
and
Sustainable Transport Strategies Contemplating the Transport Hub
wayfin
ding
Chapter 5 Saluja│32

Parking
Notable solutions are of two types, arising from chronological patterns of development.
Where car parks came before public transport linkages, the car park adjacent to the
terminal becomes a prime location for the ground transport interface, as at airports like
Manchester and Chicago. Where the design and construction of the interchange is more
recent, as at Ashford, car parking structures have been an integral part of the
interchange.

We already have discussed parking to be a modular, but terminals require two very
different types of parking as well; the short term and the long term variety. Such
strategies when imbibed within the design of the car park reduce strains afterwards.

Fig 5.5:
Parking
Layout
Sustainable Transport Strategies Contemplating the Transport Hub
Chapter 5 Saluja│33

Another strategy we discussed was that of flexibility. In car parking, terminals can never
predict the actual load on parking in the future. Being modular, it can certainly be
expanded. But do keep in mind that we wish for public transportation to be adopted
massively, which could give rise to the slim possibility that we may overbuild the
parking. Thus the car park needs to be a building flexible enough to be usable for other
functions as well.

In this particular design, a flexible column grid of 10X10 meters is adopted so that the
car park can, if needed, be transformed into a bus parking or an office whenever asked
to.

Building Design Legislation

Building design legislation would entail various norms and bye-laws applicable within
the domain for a public building. This includes various safety and service standards.

One of the major criterions would be to supply a place of assembly of all the people
within the terminal at once, outside the building, to be used in case of activation of any
evacuation protocol such as fire hazard or bomb threats.
Another one demanding insulated and pressurized fire escape staircases and lobbies
also aims for public safety in case of a mishap.

Other such concerns demand for structural stability and light and ventilation to areas
under use.

Lastly, it has to be kept in mind that the proximity of the airport requires that the
terminal may in no situation exceed its maximum height by more than 35 meters.

Commercial Opportunity
Aside from the offices that the terminal requires, wherever large numbers of people
assemble, and particularly wait, they need catering and business facilities. If they have
money to spend there will be any number of shopping opportunities.

Such opportunities have to be taken care of at the terminal itself to increase earnings.
The money from advertising alone would be staggering.

Familiarity
It will be the intent of design to be simplistic and yet create awe. While some may argue
that the design should be “innovative” and “evolved”, the end user in this case does not
have such evolved sensibilities. The average Indian has not been exposed much to the
architecture beyond their borders. An “innovative” design will only confuse them.

The design evolution of cars provides such an example. The first car looked more like a
horse cart without the horses. In fact, many subsequent generations of the design took

Sustainable Transport Strategies Contemplating the Transport Hub

Chapter 5 Saluja│34

this forward only because of image association with people. A radical design at that
point would have confused the customers and resulted in less sale of that particular
model, a fact which has been tested repeatedly.
Thus, it is imperative that we consider the end user’s design sensibilities (or lack
thereof) and proceed gradually towards a more refined aesthetic. We may have a lot of
catching up to do with the world, but a radical progression towards an imposed
sensibility would most likely be thrown out.

Sustainable Transport Strategies Contemplating the Transport Hub

Chapter 6

Final Designs
Chapter 6 Saluja│36

The final design layout enables all to reach the concourse level and then disperse to
their respective modes of transportation. The concourse would, as such, play a pivotal
role in the design manifestation of the entire design scheme.

The hub caters to a rush hour crowd of about eighty thousand passengers among
others.

Fig 6.1: Distribution of travellers

Space standards 7 have been adopted which dictate an area of 1.5 to 2 sqm per traveller.
The distribution of areas split between different modes is given.

Fig 6.2: Area Division

7
Space standards provided in Annexure 1

Sustainable Transport Strategies Final Designs

Chapter 6 Saluja│37

While adopting the policy of public transportation, we assume that only twenty one
thousand passengers come by private vehicles and that only one tenth of those park their
cars. In the probability that th policy does not fully succeed, the amount of private
vehicles will compound many times. This has been taken into account and parking of
6000 cars has been designed for, with the flexibility of further expansion if needed. Of
course, this capacity will be built in phases as and when the need arises.

Cores are repeated at regular intervals forming their own grid. This facilitates not just
vertical circulation and fire safety mechanisms but also provides a way for AC out valves
and drainage shafts all tucked away in a neat rectangular form.
This rectangular form and the grid derived from it, in turn, is made a subset of the column
grid most prominently visible on the ground fllor of the scheme. This allows for the much
needed modularity and scope for linear expansion if needed.

Sustainable Transport Strategies Final Designs

Bibliography
 Saluja│39

Sources:
1. Census of India, 2001:
http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/National_Summary/National_Sum
mary_DataPage.aspx
2. "Vintage 2008 Population Estimates: Incorporated Places and Minor Civil
Divisions over 100,000". United States Census Bureau, Population Division.
Retrieved 2009-07-02.
3. Arnet, O. and Brunner, A. (2002). Swiss bliss. Passenger Terminal World Annual
Technology Showcase Issue
4. Wagner, T. (2003). Landside Accessibility Report. European Centre of Transport
and Logistics, TU Hamburg-Harburg
5. London-luton.co.uk/pdf/download website (2003). Surface access strategy, July

List of Figures
Fig 0.1: Comparison of populations and densities.
Fig 2.1: Government proposals of the region.
Fig 2.2: Road infrastructure too weak in the region.
Fig 2.3: Existing Site.
Fig 3.1: Proposed freeways and Expressways.
Fig 3.2: Pedestrian sectors with room for expansion of villages.
Fig 3.3: Introduction of BRT and dedicated one way link.
Fig 3.4: Introduction of grid and green corridors.
Fig 3.5: Introduction of zoning.
Fig 3.5: Proposed Plan.
Fig 4.1: Zurich Airport: diagram of terminals based on Unique Airport website.
Fig 4.2: Terminal 1 aerial view, inflexible but intended to multiply (Courtesy of Aeroports
de Paris).
Fig 4.3: Lyon St Exupéry Airport: aerial photomontage showing two terminals and TGV
station (Courtesy of CRB Architectes and Scott Brownrigg Ltd).
Fig 4.4: Luton Airport: map linking station and airport.
Fig 5.1: Linearity of Transport Mechanisms.
Fig 5.2: Vertical Separation and Overlaps.
Fig 5.3: Modularity.
Fig 5.4: Transparency and Way-finding.
Fig 5.5: Parking Layout.
Fig 6.1: Distribution of travelers.
Fig 6.2: Area Division.
Fig 6.3: Ground Level Plan.
Fig 6.4: Concourse Level Plan.
Fig 6.5: Arrival Level Plan.
Fig 6.6: Sections.

Sustainable Transport Strategies Bibliography

 Saluja│40

Annexure:
Space Standards and Levels of Service

Other standards taken from Nueferts regarding Bus Stations, Railway Stations and
Parking.

Sustainable Transport Strategies Bibliography