Urban design and environmental management implications of corridors

Abstract

Paper presented at the 22nd Annual Southern African Transport Conference 14 - 16 July 2003 "National issues affecting the movement of people and goods - strategic approaches", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa. Transport planning and access management forms an integral part in the planning and design of our cities. Although integrated planning has been around for a number of years, the question always arises who plans for whom and who integrates the planning. The success of corridors and transport planning will only be attained if all the urban components and disciplines are included. Corridors as linear development is an urban form of development based on the idea that all major activities can be concentrated along a single linear configuration, which is usually centred on transportation access of some kind. It is believed that the predominance of car movement has negatively affected the sustainability of corridors because it is reliant on a single mode of transport. It is clear that if transport planning is to assist in generating sustainable urban form, a balance needs to be created between mobility, accessibility and activities. Urban form and the spatial qualities are of utmost importance to create successful development corridors. Without addressing urban form, land use movement and transport infrastructure and services, public amenities and urban conservation, an integrated approach is not possible. The management of the corridor should not only include access management, land use management or environmental management, but all three components should be integrated and interrelated. The implications of each of these should be identified, addressed and incorporated into the design guidelines. Existing projects will be used to illustrate the concepts and urban design implications of the arguments.