 is modern-day version of a traditional, core city planning development.
National Policy on TOD
Taking into consideration the importance of TOD in the national context, the government has announced a policy, ‘National Transit Oriented Development’, dedicated to this. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, has announced a framework to promote development near mass urban transit corridors for addressing urbanization challenges. It seeks to promote TOD which enables people to live within walking or cycling distance from metros, monorail, and BRT corridors, etc. This policy will help states and union territories to understand TOD as a sustainable and affordable solution to many of the challenges, such as excessive urban growth, rapidly rising private vehicles on roads, pollution, housing choices, etc.
A community with a strong and dependable transit system and streetscaping elements can discourage vehicle dependence and congestion. In the new metro policy drafted by the government, TOD has been made mandatory and prioritized for receiving central assistance. Doing so will promote integration of land use planning with transportation and infrastructure development to avoid long-distance travel in cities. TOD is, essentially, about compact development as against the present pattern of unplanned and haphazard urban growth.
The union government’s TOD policy will help the states in developing an in-depth understanding of the challenges currently faced by the cities. TOD policy aims at inclusive development in the form of a range of housing choices, including affordable housing and ensuring spaces for street vendors. If properly executed, TOD could emerge as a means of financing mass transit projects for which the demand is growing. Financial needs for TOD will be met by channelizing a part of property values resulting from investments in transit corridors through betterment levies and value-capture financing tools.
The central government has notified the TOD policy in 2015, but there was no clarity on the process for the management of open spaces, various sanctions, parking space, water requirement, etc.
TOD in Delhi
The TOD policy proposed by Delhi Master Plan will mark a paradigm shift in the way neighbourhoods and cities, in general, are planned thus heralding a new way of linking urban systems with day to- day living such that people can spend more quality time socially and in pursuing recreational activities rather than getting stuck in traffic jams, a major concern on roads toady.
Taking the master plan directive forward, the TOD policy designates a maximum, up to 500 m-wide, belt (i.e., approximately 5-minute walking distance) on both sides of the centre line of the mass rapid transit system (MRTS) corridor as the ‘TOD Zone’, with the exception of areas falling under low-density residential areas (LDRA). TOD zone is a new land use category that allows flexibility in a mix of various possible uses, with the exception of polluting and potentially hazardous uses.
The goal of the TOD Zone is to promote low-carbon high-density sustainable development in the city. The policy has the following major aspects:
. Allow flexibility of uses within the overall ambit of the zonal development plan.
. Mixed use of provisions to reduce travel demand and reduce pressure on road-based travel.
. Optimum floor area ratio (FAR) and density norms to facilitate people to live, work, and seek entertainment within walking distance from stations. These will also seek to balance/ redistribute densities over the city along the MRTS corridors.
. Creation of finer road networks within neighbourhoods/ development areas for safer and easy movement of nonmotorized transport (NMT) and pedestrians. A mix in income arising due to greater community integration. The more people share public spaces, greens, recreational facilities, and amenities, the more the economy will improve.
. Increase in public safety, especially for women and children using public transportation or walking at night. These changes can be brought about by revising t