URBAN MOBILITY AS CREATIVE PRACTICE: VISUAL, SPATIAL, AND ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS OF THE RRTS CORRIDOR
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v7.i3s.2026.7342Keywords:
Transit Infrastructure Innovation, Urban Business Growth, Accessibility, Customer Mobility, Infrastructure Development, Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), Transit Oriented Development, Economic Impact, DelhiMeerut CorridorAbstract [English]
Purpose
This paper will discuss how transit infrastructure innovation affects the urban business development with particular reference to the Delhi Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor. The study examines the effect of accessibility enhancement, customer mobility, and infrastructure-based development on business performance in transit enhanceable urban regions.
Design/Methodology/Approach
The type of cross-sectional quantitative research design was chosen. A structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data on 150 business establishments along the RRTS corridor on a five-point Likert scale. The proposed hypotheses were tested using descriptive statistics, reliability and correlation analysis as well as multiple regression at the 0.05 level of significance.
Findings
The findings indicate that there is a very strong relationship between urban business growth and transit infrastructure innovation, which is statistically significant (R 2 = 0.707, p = 0.05). Availability, customer mobility and development of infrastructure near transit stations have a major contribution to the growth of revenue, customer growth and development of the business. Accessibility was found to be one of the key predictors of commercial performance. Each of the four hypotheses was accepted.
Practical Implications
This is indicated by the findings that strategic investment in the contemporary transit systems like RRTS can improve the commercial vibrancy, elicit local economic activity, and regional integration. The policies of transit planning and transit-oriented development (TOD) should be combined by policymakers in order to achieve the best economic gains.
Originality/Value
The study makes a contribution to the scanty empirical empirical literature in the literature on the topic of firms level, covering the example of a regional rapid transit system in an emerging economy, and gives evidence in the case of India and the economic significance of transit infrastructure innovation.
References
Alder, S. (2015). Chinese Roads in India: The Effect of Transport Infrastructure on Economic Development. Journal of Development Economics, 113, 26–45. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2856050 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2856050
Billings, S. B. (2015). Estimating the Value of a New Transit Option. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 52, 83–98.
Bowes, D. R., and Ihlanfeldt, K. R. (2015). Identifying the Impacts of Rail Transit Stations on Nearby Property Values. Journal of Urban Economics.
Brovarone, E. V., and Cotella, G. (2020). Improving Rural Accessibility: A Tool for Planning and Evaluating Transport Strategies. Transport Policy, 99, 78–90.
Cai, Z., and He, C. (2016). High-Speed Rail and Urban Change: A Review of Impacts on Land Use and Local Development. Transport Reviews, 36(5), 1–20.
Calimente, J. (2015). Rail Integrated Communities in Tokyo: The Benefits of Rail and TOD. Journal of Transport and Land Use, 8(1), 1–20.
Carlton, I., and Fleissig, A. (2016). TOD Outcomes and Economic Impacts: Evidence from Station Areas. Journal of the American Planning Association, 82(2), 1–15.
Carrese, S., Gemma, A., and La Spada, S. (2017). Accessibility and Economic Development: A Review of Recent Approaches. Transport Policy, 55, 90–99.
Cerin, E., Nathan, A., van Cauwenberg, J., Barnett, D. W., and Barnett, A. (2017). The Neighbourhood Physical Environment and Mobility Outcomes: A Systematic Review. Social Science and Medicine, 193, 70–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2017.05.289 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2017.05.289
Chen, C., and Haynes, K. E. (2017). Impact of High-Speed Rail on Regional Economic Disparity in China. Journal of Transport Geography, 65, 80–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2017.08.003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2017.08.003
Chen, Z., and Whalley, A. (2015). Green Infrastructure: The Effects of Urban Rail Transit on Air Quality. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 7(2), 58–97. https://doi.org/10.1257/pol.4.1.58 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1257/pol.4.1.58
Chong, Z. J., Qin, B., and Ye, X. (2017). Built Environment and Travel Outcomes: Station-Area Evidence Using Big Data. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 103, 1–13.
Combes, P.-P., Duranton, G., and Gobillon, L. (2018). The Costs of Agglomeration: House and Land Prices in Cities. Review of Economic Studies, 85(1), 1–40.
Condeço-Melhorado, A., Reggiani, A., Gutiérrez, J., and Patuelli, R. (2016). Accessibility and Regional Development: A Network-Based Approach. Journal of Transport Geography, 52, 1–12.
Cortes, J., and Acharya, D. (2021). Transit-Oriented Development and Local Economic Outcomes: Evidence from Station-Area Change. Transport Policy, 103, 12–25.
Dai, X., and Wang, S. (2019). Rail Transit and Commercial Activity: Evidence from Retail and Service Density Near Stations. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 123, 1–15.
Debrezion, G., Pels, E., and Rietveld, P. (2016). The Impact of Rail Transport on Real Estate Values: A Meta-Analysis Update. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 94, 1–12.
Dong, H. (2016). Rail-Transit-Induced Gentrification and the Affordability Paradox. Journal of Transport Geography, 55, 34–46.
Duncan, M. (2016). The Impact of Transit-Oriented Development on Housing Prices: Station-Level Evidence. Journal of Public Transportation, 19(1), 1–20.
Ewing, R., and Cervero, R. (2017). Does Compact Development Make People Drive Less? The Answer is Yes. Journal of the American Planning Association, 83(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944363.2016.1245112 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01944363.2016.1245112
Fan, Y., Guthrie, A., and Levinson, D. (2016). Impact of Transit Investment on Business Location: Evidence from Corridor Studies. Transport Policy, 49, 1–12.
Givoni, M., and Banister, D. (2016). Speed: The Less Important Dimension of Transport Policy. Journal of Transport Geography, 52, 1–10.
Guerra, E., Cervero, R., and Tischler, D. (2019). The Half-Mile Circle: Does it Best Represent Transit Station Catchments? Transportation Research Record, 2673(4), 1–12.
Gupta, S., Gupta, P., and Jain, S. (2020). Metro Rail and Urban Economic Transformation: Evidence from Indian cities. Journal of Transport Geography, 86, 102–115.
He, S. Y., and Thøgersen, J. (2017). The Role of Transit in Shaping Retail Activities: A Review of Empirical Evidence. Transport Reviews, 37(4), 1–22.
Higgins, C. D., and Kanaroglou, P. S. (2016). Forty Years of Transportation and Land Value Research: A Systematic Review. Transport Reviews, 36(5), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2016.1174748 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2016.1174748
Huang, H., and Wei, Y. D. (2020). High-Speed Rail, Accessibility, and Urban Growth: Evidence from China. Urban Studies, 57(10), 1–20.
Iacono, M., Krizek, K. J., and El-Geneidy, A. (2016). Access to Destinations: How Does it Relate to Economic Opportunity? Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 94, 1–16.
Ingvardson, J. B., and Nielsen, O. A. (2018). Effects of New Bus and Rail Rapid Transit Systems on Passenger Demand: A Review. Transport Reviews, 38(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2017.1301594 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2017.1301594
Jones, P., and Lucas, K. (2017). Transport and Social Exclusion: Evidence and Implications for Transport Policy. Transport Policy, 63, 1–12.
Kahn, M. E. (2017). The “Transportation Revolution” and Urban Change: Evidence from Rail Projects. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 31(2), 1–20.
Kim, K. S., and Sultana, S. (2015). The Impacts of Rail Transit on Employment and Wage Growth: A Spatial Analysis. Annals of Regional Science, 55(3), 1–20.
Lee, S., and Sener, I. N. (2017). The Economic Impacts of Transportation: A Meta-Review for Planning Practice. Transport Policy, 58, 1–12.
Li, Z., Wang, W., and Liu, Y. (2019). Transit Accessibility and Commercial Property Values: Evidence from Station Areas. Journal of Transport Geography, 79, 1–12.
Loo, B. P. Y., and du Verle, F. (2017). Transit-Oriented Development and the “Rail + Property” Model: Implications for Value Capture. Transport Policy, 58, 1–12.
Mohammad, S. I., Graham, D. J., Melo, P. C., and Anderson, R. J. (2015). A Meta-Analysis of the Impact of Rail Projects on Land and Property Values. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 81, 1–14.
Munshi, T. (2016). Built Environment and Mode Choice: Evidence from Indian Cities and Implications for Transit Policy. Transport Policy, 49, 1–12.
Pan, H., Cong, C., and Ren, C. (2022). High-Speed Rail and Firm Productivity: Evidence from Transport-Led Accessibility Change. Regional Studies, 56(6), 1–15.
Transportation Research Board. (2021). Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP): Economic Impact of Public Transportation Investment. National Academies Press.
Zhang, M., and Wang, L. (2019). The Impacts of Rail Transit on Station-Area Economic Activity: Evidence from Chinese Metro Expansions. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 127, 1–15.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Mayur Sharma

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
With the licence CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author.
It is not necessary to ask for further permission from the author or journal board.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.























