Rethinking Urban Mobility: “For Living, Not Working.”

James Berry on how changing behaviour, technology and customer expectations will change our urban transport systems, and cities, for good.

Urban transport spaces are on the threshold of transformative change. Set to evolve rapidly over the next decade, these once-predictable nexuses for workers commuting in and out of the city on a rigid schedule, urban mobility systems will be redesigned to reflect changing behaviour, technology and customer expectations – designed for how people want to live in the future instead of how they’ve been expected to work in the past.

Urban Evolution: Shifting Priorities.

Our cities are changing. With remote working here to stay¹ city centres are moving away from a long-standing dependence on offices to become versatile, mixed-use destinations.

This has seen cities incorporate enhanced layers of amenity into the urban fabric, and adding variation to existing office, retail and hospitality precincts. In fact, many cities are actively encouraging the adaptive reuse of office buildings for more relevant purposes – indicating a permanent change of use for our urban cores as office vacancy rates settle on lower figures².

As our urban centres evolve, our relationships with them do too. While predictions of the ‘death of the commute’ have proven to be somewhat exaggerated, an increased focus and subsequent upsurge in leisure travel to events and attractions in urban centres indicates a potential for our relationship with urban centres to become more centred on lifestyle rather than work.

By 2030, the ongoing reinvention of our cities will be more obvious. We will see city centres transformed into the hubs of experience and activity that initiatives like NYC’s ‘City of Yes’, the City of London’s ‘City Plan 2040’ and Melbourne’s ‘Plan Melbourne’, envision. In response, public transport will evolve to be more dynamic and interconnected, enhancing efficiency and accessibility while fostering community engagement and making urban travel more enriching.

Transport buildings will merge with civic spaces, becoming destinations in their own right, where people gather, shop, and connect.

Diversification: Alternative Modes of Transport.

As cities and city-goers find new rhythms, mobility is entering a new age of innovation. Though private cars are still the most popular mobility mode¹, transport – like the city itself – is diversifying. Over the next decade², new technology in the sector is predicted to see a rise in the use of autonomous vehicles, air taxis, and EVs (electric vehicles) like electric cars, e-bikes and e-scooters – changing the nature of public transport as we know it.

These changes will yield a more intelligent, seamless and environmentally friendly transport ecosystem. With 46 percent of travellers planning to replace their private vehicles with other modes of transport in the next decade, further advancements in technology like roboshuttles and urban air taxis look set to tip the balance in favour of public transport being more popular than private – making micromobility, ridesharing and ride-hailing the predicted preferred modes of future travel.

Sustainability, health and wellness are key drivers for the rise in new transport technology and micro-mobility. As it is today, the sector is responsible for a large proportion of the world’s air pollution and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – and alarming fact when considered alongside the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) estimation that 4.2 million premature deaths are attributed to ambient (outdoor) air pollution³.

In the pursuit of a healthier environment as well as healthier selves – WHO also estimates that up to 5 million deaths a year could be averted if the global population was more active⁴ – 49 percent of consumers worldwide are avoiding private car use in favour of healthier options like cycling or walking, or more sustainable ones like shared transport.

The promotion of healthier, greener transport has also made its way into regional and national regulations. Over 150 cities have implemented efforts to reduce the use of private-vehicles long term through actions like limiting the number of private cars in cities, penalising non-compliant vehicles, or providing financial incentives to use more environmentally friendly mobility modes.

Since 2014, Paris has closed more than 100 streets to motor vehicles, tripled parking fees for SUVs, removed roughly 50,000 parking spots, and constructed more than 1,300 kilometres (800 miles) of bike lanes– contributing to a 40% decline in air pollution in time for this years’ Olympic Games. 01.01 Pictured: A woman riding a Velib bicycle in Paris (Vélib’ Métropole is a large-scale public bicycle sharing system in Paris, France.)

“Urban transport spaces will become places of civic pride and community expression that enrich the urban fabric.”

In London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez), a £12.50 daily charge applies if the vehicle doesn’t meet certain emission standards.

Growing Expectations: Seamless Spaces.

Transport’s incoming age of innovation is not solely driven by the rise in micro-mobility but also by growing passenger expectations. For public and shared transport to work in the long term, it must respond to customer demand by offering the same level of personalization, safety, reliability, and accessibility as private transport. Additionally, it must operate in spaces that allow for seamless interchange between different transport modes.

Passenger needs have not fundamentally changed—they still expect to get from A to B as easily and safely as possible. However, today’s passengers expect a personalized journey that they feel in control of. This requires a range of solutions, from clear wayfinding to contactless payment and real-time communication.

To successfully deliver such a future, transport systems are moving to a fully digital world. Paris’s Île-de-France Mobilités app and Copenhagen’s DOT facilitating seamless trip planning, multimodal top-ups, and real-time updates on transportation options—covering everything from biking to carpooling and car-sharing. Delhi Metro has even leveraged WhatsApp to allow passengers to purchase tickets by simply sending ‘hi’ to the metro’s mobile number and following a set of prompts.

As part of the Sydney Metro, Sydney Central and Crows Nest stations are both fully accessible environments that embody the network’s ‘just turn up and go’ motto. Fares can be paid with either a credit, debit or Opal card, while real-time travel information and live electronic maps keep passengers updated along their journey.

The seamless, technology enabled nature of these stations demonstrates how the act of prioritising accessibility, reliability and easy navigation will ultimately make public transportation a viable, people-centric option for users wanting a personalised experience.

With 96 percent of Sydney’s train services concentrated through Central Station, the historic hub forms the backbone of the metropolitan transport network.

With a focus on human-scale design elements and simple external architecture, Crows Nest station weaves large-scale infrastructure into the nearby Crows Nest Village and St Leonards community fabric.

Located in Sydney, 275 Kent Street, Sydney compliments Barangaroo station through a verdant and social retail offering, complete with class food operators, integrated art, laneway activation and a lush, landscaping.

Destinations: Transport Buildings and Urban Masterplanning.

The combination of shifting behaviours, diversification of transport modes, and growing passenger expectations is driving the development of innovative transport buildings and urban spaces. As cities adapt to new ways of living and moving, transportation hubs are no longer just functional spaces but integral parts of urban life, designed to meet the needs of a diverse and dynamic population.

This evolution is leading to a reprioritization—where living takes precedence over working, integration over isolation, and personalization over broad predictions. Transport buildings will merge with civic spaces, becoming destinations in their own right, where people gather, shop, and connect.

Urban transport spaces will not only facilitate movement but become places of civic pride and community expression, enriching the urban experience.

James Berry, Principal and Global Transport Sector Leader.

James is Woods Bagot’s Global Transport Sector Leader. He has significant expertise in the design and management of major complex projects drawn from over 25 years’ experience across the design and construction industry. He has Board level experience in large private and publicly-listed companies, designed award winning buildings, delivered the design for two multi-billion dollar projects and led winning design teams for one of the world’s largest construction companies.

James has a proven track record in the efficient delivery of sustainable design solutions that meet the needs of the stakeholders. He has achieved this through strong design leadership, a deep understanding of the technology and logistics of construction and integrated thinking across the supply chain.