Overview

Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is a high-density, compact, walkable, mixed-use form of development located within close proximity to a public transport station. It is often cited as an overarching, sustainable and integrated solution to transport problems within urban areas.

Whether a TOD is developed on a greenfield site or introduced within an existing community, there is often a strong focus on the primary transit services and the surrounding high-density developments. However, physically connecting those developments to the transit system is often overlooked; to ensure a successful TOD, the ‘last mile’ needs to be integrated into the overall design through a high quality environment which provides for trips by foot, cycle or equivalent modes.

This evening seminar from the CIHT Dubai Group will provide an overview of the key factors for developing successful TOD. Discussion will focus upon the importance of the first and last mile connections and in particular how walking and cycling can provide socially, environmentally, and economically beneficial solutions to ensure a winning TOD solution.

Other positive softer interventions, such as travel planning as well as a range of regulatory control options, to help maximise the chances of the TOD providing the expected required transport benefits will also be detailed. The speaker will pose some fundamental questions during the presentation to help prompt debate on the extent to which walking and cycling can meaningfully offer support to TOD in cities in the UAE and wider GCC.

Speaker 

Martin Tillman - Director, AECOM

Martin Tillman is Director at international consultancy Aecom, leading Strategic Planning and Advisory for the Middle East. He has responsibility for transport modelling, development planning, transport technology, road safety, parking, and freight across the region.

Martin has lived and worked in the United Arab Emirates for the last 10 years. Prior to this he worked in the United States, Hong Kong, Qatar, France, and the UK. His specialism is providing strategic transport master planning input to large scale giga projects across the region helping to create smart, connected, and liveable communities.

Martin is Vice Chair for the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transport, advisory board member for Abu Dhabi University Civil Engineering Department, an advisor on the Airbus Expert STAR programme, and a mentor for the UAE Federal National Experts Programme.

Martin is also a Fellow of the Institute of Transportation Engineers, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, and the Institute of Highways and Transportation.