CITY-HUB | Innovative design and operation of new or upgraded urban transport interchanges

City-HUB is a three years project (2012-2015) co-financed by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Cooperation Work Program. It aims at contributing to the design and operation of seamless, smart, clean and safe intermodal public transport systems, by bringing together leading experts of design and urban integration, transport operation and business, local and regional authorities and end-users organizations. Also, it investigates how these interchanges should be designed in order to ensure that “vulnerable” target groups, i.e. the elderly, youth, physically and mentally handicapped people can adequately benefit from these interchanges.

CITY-HUB focuses on urban transport interchanges, including more than 20 European researchers who demonstrated why transport interchanges are crucial for a seamless public transport system. It is based on a broad consultation process to stakeholders of 26 interchanges in 10 different countries, and on tailored surveys to travelers in five of them. It shows how to reduce the negative aspects of transfer by improving information and by delivering services and facilities.

Floridea di Ciommo, currently co-director of cambiaMO, has been the technical manager of this research project which outlines the required steps from interchange planning to operation, and defines the functions, the design of the space for transfer, stay and services, and assesses the needs for different types of interchange. It introduces the evaluation of urban and economic impacts and the identification of users’ perceptions to improve interchange efficiency.  The most important factors from the user point of view are safety and security, transfer conditions, information, design, services and facilities, environmental quality and comfort. These factors define the efficiency of interchanges (City-HUBS) from two different perspectives: as a transport node and as a place.