Moving the City East: Explorations into Contextual Public Transport-orientated Development

Abstract

The focus for much of London's current envisaged development growth is to move eastwards; beyond the City of London and Canary Wharf and into the London Thames Gateway. A major part of the next implementation stage (from 2006 to 2026) is to create a new future for Canning Town and the Royal Docks. This paper describes the strategic and detailed planning of a public transport-orientated development (PTOD) form around an improved public transport network in east London, including an extended Docklands Light Railway and a major new east–west cross-London rail link in Crossrail. The central argument behind the PTOD theme is that development density is linked effectively to public transport accessibility levels; ensuring that the fullest possible development potential is realized and that the public transport network is well utilized. Hence there are both place-making and sustainable transport objectives. Transport investment is used to enable high levels of development; and high levels of development are used to make possible a high-specification public transport system.