In a seminar held on January 17 in Tehran, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Iran Municipalities and Rural Management Organization (affiliated with Interior Ministry) officially marked the beginning of yet another joint cooperation to tackle the problem of air pollution and traffic congestion through development of public transport.
The “Data Collection Survey on Transit- Oriented Development in the Islamic Republic of Iran” is only the beginning of a bigger project for better urban planning and development.
“TOD is a type of urban planning which is not dependent on private cars but on public transport,” Yukiharu Kobayashi, Chief Representative of JICA Iran office, said over his opening remarks at the seminar.
However, Kobayashi continued, TOD concept is quite new in Iran so, the Iranian government requested Japanese government to provide technical assistance for preparation of TOD guidelines, and JICA decided to implement this survey, as well as collection and analysis of further information and consider the support methods by Japan in order to encourage Iran’s TOD.
What is TOD
According to tod.org transport oriented development or as it is well-known TOD is the creation of compact, walkable, pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use communities centered around high quality train systems. This makes it possible to live a lower-stress life without complete dependence on a car for mobility and survival.
TOD can be an optimal solution to the complicated, pressing problem of climate change and global energy security by creating communities which greatly minimize the need for driving and energy consumption. This type of living arrangement can reduce driving by up to 85%.
Components of TOD
Walkable design with pedestrian as the highest priority
Train station as prominent feature of town center
A regional node containing a mixture of uses in close proximity (office, residential, retail, civic)
High density, walkable district within 10-minute walk circle surrounding train station
Collector support transit systems including streetcar, light rail, and buses, etc.
Designed to include the easy use of bicycles and scooters as daily support transport
Large ride-in bicycle parking areas within stations
Bikeshare rental system and bikeway network integrated into stations
Reduced and managed parking inside 10-minute walk circle around town center / train station
Specialized retail at stations serving commuters and locals including cafes, grocery, dry cleaners
MA
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