Access to Technology Key to Effective Transit Oriented Development in Urban Planning - Essay Example

Access to Technology – Key to Effective Transit Oriented Development in Urban Planning Transportation is one of the main challenges when it comes to urban planning. Numerous issues such as population density, increased traffic, pollution, parking spaces, and so forth should be considered during planning phases. One of the most effective ways of overcoming this issue is transit-oriented development (TOD). In transit-oriented development, the commercial and residential areas are designed in such a way that citizens can make the best use of public transportation, which solves the various problems mentioned above. The main challenge here is to encourage citizens to take up transit ridership. This paper discusses how access to technology has changed the perception of the current generation (generation Y) towards public transportation and why more and more people are now attracted towards it. It also discusses how this knowledge can be used by urban planners. In the 20th century, commuters have preferred personalised modes of transportation over public transportation for numerous reasons. Public transportation meant that they had to compromise on privacy. People felt that public transportation was not an effective way of transportation. Private transportation gave them more freedom and gave them the privacy that was needed. Another important factor that went against improved public transportation is that the time spent in public transportation was waste of quality time and nothing productive could be extracted from it. Even though public transportation was cheaper when compared to private modes of transportation, people preferred private transportation over public transportation. Studies in the recent past have shown that trends are changing. There is a big segment of the urban population that is beginning to use public transportation more often because they are drawn towards a transit-oriented lifestyle. The majority of this segment consists of people under the age of 35, i.e. the Generation Y or Millennials. Joseph P. Schwieterman’s article “The Travel Habits of Gen Y” is focused on this. It discusses how the technology has changed the perception of the current generation towards public transportation and why more and more people below the age of 35 prefer public transportation over private transportation. The article identifies one of the main reasons for the newly found attractiveness in public transportation is the access to modern technologies. The current generation are highly hooked to electronic gadgets and prefer to stay digitally connected. Smart phones, i-Pads, netbooks have made it possible for the current generation to make quality use of time that earlier would have been spent idle. These devices have opened up a lot of new options to make effective use of time. What links these devices to public transportation is the connectivity. It is the access to Wifi in public modes of transportation that has made the real difference. Access to Wifi allows them to stay digitally connected and use their travel time to either work or socialise. This is very difficult while driving as it needs the complete attention of the driver. It is highly unsafe to use these technologies while driving. Hence, public transportation with access to Wifi allows people to make effective use of their time. People can now make use of their travel time to do various activities such as communicate with friends over social networking sites, read news, pay bills, listen to music, watch favorite shows, movies, and so on. These tasks are very hard to be performed while commuting in a personal vehicle. Therefore, access to internet is one of the primary reasons why Generation Y prefers public transportation over private transportation. That is, elimination of dead time associated with driving or flying is one of the main reasons that motivate travellers to take up public transportation. It is also true that the perceptions of automobiles are changing among the younger generations. An automobile would be a style statement and a status symbol for the generations of the 70’s and 80’s. However, it is not the case with the millennials. Even though they like automobiles, it is not as much of a status symbol or a style statement as it used to be. Automobiles have now been replaced by high-tech gadgets as style statements and status symbols. Irrespective of knowing to drive or not, the current generation (Generation Y or Millennials) knows how to use a Smartphone or a netbook. The affordability, with respect to price, of electronic gadgets over automobiles has made them more attractive to the current generation. Even though automobiles are still a style statement and status symbol, they are a lot more expensive when compared to electronic gadgets. Therefore, owning the latest electronic gadget is lot more important and a necessity for the current generation that owning an automobile. These new electronic gadgets have added a whole new dimension to privacy in the public space. Even in public space, the modern day electronic gadgets allow people to have a private experience. Unlike in the past, travellers can now personalise their travel. iPods and iPads have made it possible for them to choose the music or entertainment of their choice while traveling whereas earlier they had no option. More importantly, it gives them the privacy while communicating with friends and family through these latest devices. Services such as Skype and Facebook allow them to talk over Wifi connections for free. Communication on the move has become lot more easy and effective. Chatting services help people to keep their conversations private which gives them more freedom and not worry about the fellow commuter. All these factors have been combined to make public transportation with access to technology more attractive to millennials. The trend is not limited to millennials but also catching up with the older generations. Using modern day gadgets has various other benefits too. Travellers can check for an available bus or train, weather reports, traffic data and more. Hence, people of all ages are starting to use more sophisticated devices and finding that public transportation allows them to continue using their devices and get something done instead of imposing on their time such as driving would. Therefore, planners must take this into consideration in urban planning. It is not just enough to create an environment where access to public transportation is maximized. It is even more important to ensure that the facilities encourage people to take up public transportation. In the future, this is only possible by ensuring that travellers have access to features such as Wifi, mobile networks, and electrical outlets on the go. Internet connectivity during transportation must be of primary importance for urban planners when planning transit-oriented development projects. It is one of the most effective ways to encourage travellers to switch from private modes of transportation to public transportation. It is only through use of innovations in technology that an effective transit system can be built. E-commerce must be effectively used to make the travel experience better for the customer. Online ticket booking, travel cards, and other new ideas must be incorporated into the transportation system. At the end of the day it is the way that the travellers can make effective use of their travelling time that makes the difference. We have seen access to technology allows people to achieve this. Privacy and dead travelling time were one of the main reasons that people preferred private transportation over public transportation in the last century but this has changed now. Electronic gadgets along with technologies such as Wifi have now made it possible for people to make effective use of their travel time. They can make it more productive by working or use the same time to socialise and connect with friends. They can also personalise their experience by choosing the kind of entertainment they want. These gadgets also allow people to a lot of other activities such as check, weather reports, traffic data, bus or train availability, online shopping, and many more. Therefore access to technology during public transportation is the solution to attracting more people towards public transportation. If urban planners can ensure that the travellers can use their travel time productively, only then more and more people will move towards public transportation. Read More