Measuring public transport and built environment integration at the neighborhood scale: Towards a quantitative assessment methodology

Urban sustainability is increasingly linked to the integration of land use and transport systems. While regional-scale accessibility models exist, they often fail to capture the nuanced, localized interactions between public transport (PT) and the built environment (BE) at the neighborhood level. These interactions—such as how street layout affects pedestrian access to transit or how transit infrastructure influences local permeability and safety—are critical for achieving efficient urban development. The authors identify a significant gap in current planning: the lack of an objective, quantitative assessment framework to measure how well PT and BE are attuned to one another.

The authors define integration as a state where the constitutive elements of PT and BE are mutually attuned to reinforce positive impacts and mitigate negative ones. To operationalize this, they propose a systematic approach that moves beyond simple accessibility metrics. The methodology involves identifying specific 'measuring points' based on the mutual dependencies between the two systems. By explicitly modeling these interactions, the framework allows planners to evaluate how well a neighborhood is integrated, identify strengths and weaknesses, and compare different development alternatives.

Without a quantitative assessment tool, integration remains a vague policy goal rather than an actionable planning objective. This framework provides a structured way for government agencies, transit operators, and real estate developers to evaluate projects. It helps stakeholders move beyond siloed optimization—where transit and land use are planned independently—toward a more holistic approach that can unlock synergies, improve transit patronage, and enhance the quality of the local urban environment.