ANNUAL CONGRESS 2025

Impact of Multi-Station Aggregate Hub Redevelopment on Surrounding Urban Areas: A Case Study of London’s King’s Cross

Not scheduled

20m

Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul

Oral Track 03 | MOBILITY

Speakers

Ms Yufei Qu (Southeast University)Ms Yuying Zhu (Southeast University)Ms Xiaoxi Zhang (Southeast University)Prof. Chuan Wang (Southeast University)

Description

In the past decades, the condensation of urban networks of metro and rail lines is reshaping the spatial configuration of cities and transforming travel patterns, thereby influencing urban development patterns and intensities. (Desjardins et al., 2014)With continuous urban growth, the densification of metro and rail networks have given rise to multi-station aggregate hubs formed by interrelated stations. These hubs, emerging as creative industry and high-quality life cores, profoundly affect the development of their surrounding urban areas. (Cao, 2022)However, existing research on the integration of transport stations and surrounding land use has primarily focused on one single station (TOD). As metro and rail lines become increasingly interconnected, multi-station aggregation has become a new trend in large metropolises, often occupying core urban areas or serving as critical urban transport hubs. (Kidokoro, 2020)Despite this, there is a notable lack of systematic research on multi-station hubs and their closely associated urban functional districts.

This study focuses on the case study of King’s Cross, London. The studied area is delimitated into core, primary impact, and potential impact zones to analyze the relationship between transport, functionality, and spatial renewal using spatiotemporal geographic data. The historical data used are from the years 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023, following the substantial completion of King’s Cross Station. The study explores the mechanisms through which the redevelopment of multi-station aggregate hubs influences surrounding urban development. First, the spatial evolution in the past two decades is traced, outlining the renewal processes of surrounding districts based on the development trajectory of the King’s Cross–St Pancras multi-station aggregate hub. Second, changes in transport networks, functional vitality, and development intensity are quantitatively analyzed and visually represented in GIS, revealing the driving effects of multi-station transport redevelopment on the surrounding area. Finally, redevelopment modes within the study area are classified and summarized in terms of forms of reconstruction and spatial layouts.

The findings indicate that most developments in the King’s Cross area are concentrated within the core zone and its adjacent area. The intensity of development momentum and the driving force for spatial expansion are positively correlated with the distance to the multi-station aggregate hub. The ratio of renewal building areas in the three zones of King’s Cross—core, primary impact, and potential impact zones—has reached 30:3:1. Moreover, the aggregation of transport hubs creates efficient connectivity, stimulates functional demand, as evidenced by the significant growth of consumer and service-oriented Points of Interest (POIs) in the surrounding area. From the perspective of spatial development, the emergence of new economic and employment forms has transformed transport aggregation zones into mixed-use areas that attract creative industries. Over two decades of development, this has driven the continuous utilization of opportunity sites in surrounding areas.

This study examines the influence of multi-station aggregated hub’s redevelopment on its surrounding areas and summarizes urban development modes. (Ibraeva et al., 2020)It provides insights for the planning and redevelopment of multi-station urban districts in future megacities, shedding light on the spatial transformations brought about by the integration of urban and transport networks, offering valuable guidance for similar projects worldwide.

References

CAO, Z. 2022. Integrating Station-Area Development with Rail Transit Networks: Lessons from Japan Railway in Tokyo. Urban Rail Transit, 8.
DESJARDINS, X., MAULAT, J. & SYKES, O. 2014. Introduction Linking rail and urban development: Reflections on French and British experience. Town Planning Review, 85, 143-154.
IBRAEVA, A., CORREIA, G. H. D. A., SILVA, C. & ANTUNES, A. P. 2020. Transit-oriented development: A review of research achievements and challenges. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 132, 110-130.
KIDOKORO, T. 2020. Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Policies and Station Area Development in Asian Cities. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 532, 012001.