Car-free concept in Changzhou high-speed rail station area development

Rapid urban development and increased car ownership and use in China bring many social and environmental problems. Many Chinese cities are promoting numerous large-scale transport infrastructures and development projects. How to shift the car-oriented development paradigm in the planning and construction of these projects is a challenge for planners and engineers. In the planning of the new town of Changzhou high-speed rail station, the car-free development concept was introduced to create a pedestrian-friendly urban space with easy transportation accessibility, safety and vitality. The planning team studied the car-free development concept and practices, and proposed an adaptive integrated solution for the HSR station project. It consists of four components: mixed-use development, maximum accessibility by public transportation, seamless transport transfer and continuous pedestrian network, which were integrated in the urban design by interfacing with land use, landscape and architecture. The result of the urban design is acknowledged and used as a guiding and control instrument by the city planning bureau for planning and management, serving as a basis for the regulatory planning and further spatial design.