The Evaluation of Spatial Quality Based on the Improved Node-Place Model: An Application to Large TODs in Shanghai

Transit-oriented development is a widely accepted urban design practice in development planning. Designing for large Transit Oriented Developments (TODs) requires integration of land use and transportation planning, and the node-place model is usually used to analyze the interaction between accessibility and urban activity. However, the conventional N-P model neglects the indicators of spatial quality, while they are also crucial for those multifunctional large TODs. Therefore, this paper adds spatial-quality indices as essential elements into the N-P model. By combining these assessment aspects, it builds the extended N-P-SQ three-dimensional model to evaluate and classify large TODs in Shanghai. The results show that the large TODs in Shanghai can be divided into underdeveloped, inadequate space quality, undersupplied transit, future, and development-enhanced TOD. This study aims to establish a N-P-SQ model to explore the relationship between node-place and spatial quality, providing an analytical and decision-making tool for metropolitan TODs.