TOD at the Street: A Human Scale Evaluation of the Socialization of Mass Transit Infrastructure

Abstract

With Hawaii in the mix of a huge mass transit project, communities in Hawaii will undergo major transformations. The introduction of an elevated rail will affect the character and experience of whole communities. This research will focus on maximizing the opportunity to enhance communities through social interactions that is presented by the introduction of a rail station. Social interactions in the public realm will play a key role in the integration of an elevated rail station into existing communities. To do this the research will look at new ideas to understand the experience at the human scale to shape the relations in the overall context of a community. The project will look to not only integrate the station in the community but to maximize the potential of these spaces as an urban core. The transit stops are important nodes within the city and play a unique role in the interactions it can create in a community. Through design the typical station can be transformed into a new dynamic element to revitalize existing communities.