Conference Agenda

As cities grow, the need for effective urban transit escalates, which requires robust engineering. However, focusing solely on infrastructure is insufficient; integrating social, cultural, and softer structures is essential for sustainable and inclusive city development. To explore this holistic approach, current research conducted in Calgary, Canada, forms part of a large 5-year intersectoral transdisciplinary study, and critically examines design and experience in the city’s Light Rail Transit (LRT) system. The initial research phase, reported previously, identified challenges in the transit system affecting user experience and highlighted areas within stations requiring design interventions. While the opening phase of the study can be viewed as ‘Research About Design’ with an emphasis on analysis, the subsequent phase is viewed as ‘Research Through Design’ with a focus on synthesis. Therefore, the present phase moves beyond analysis to envision a next generation train station that mitigates identified problems while aiming to elevate user experience. Equipped with three tools to inform the reimagination process – namely, 1. Design Recommendations from the opening study (Mousavi Samimi and Sinclair 2024), 2. International Precedents of Exemplary Urban Transit Station cases, and 3. Sinclair’s Holistic Framework for Design + Planning (2009) – the research team embarked on the exercise of designing and prototyping an ‘ideal’ LRT station for Calgary. The model station is intended to showcase solutions to the serious deficiencies evident in current stations within the Calgary LRT network. The design work, or ‘Research Through Design’, carefully balanced competing forces prevalent in such stations: the pragmatic with the poetic, the engineering with the architecture, the physical infrastructure with the social milieu, the need for function with the desire for delight, and so forth. The project – threading together “research about design” and “research through design” – places priority on quality of built environments, quality of lived experiences, and, ultimately, quality of life.

As cities worldwide face challenges of rapid urbanization and declining public transit ridership, traditional fixed-route systems often fail to meet evolving mobility needs. Urban planning issues, such as suburban sprawl and fragmented land use, exacerbate these limitations, leading to underutilized services, higher operational costs, and accessibility gaps, particularly for underserved communities. Demand-Responsive Transit (DRT) systems have emerged as an effective solution, offering flexible, on-demand services that dynamically adjust routes based on user demand. This review synthesizes insights from 65 studies, including 20 real-world implementations, examining DRT's potential to enhance accessibility, cost efficiency, and environmental sustainability. Key findings demonstrate that DRT systems reduce operational costs by 25-35% while increasing ridership up to 300%. Integration of AI-driven routing algorithms improves service reliability by 90-98% and reduces travel times by 35-50%. Multiple booking interfaces increase adoption by 40-60%, while multimodal integration expands service coverage by 100-150%. However, significant barriers persist, with 58% of DRT system models requiring subsidies and 51% facing equity challenges. The study proposes hybrid funding models, integrated multimodal platforms, and inclusive design approaches to address these challenges. By aligning with urban design principles and leveraging advanced technologies, DRT systems can enhance urban resilience while promoting sustainable development.

Building facade has been a center focus to innovations in materials and assemblies in the last few decades. Façade metal wall systems among others have been integral parts of commercial buildings as well as an innovative and aesthetic figure to a contemporary design. New building materials with low impact such as recycled metals have also become key players to overcome environmental challenges and achieve environmental sustainability in buildings. Such materials also contribute to a cleaner environment, responding to AIA 2030 Commitment of net zero emissions and many other initiatives by governmental and states institutions. Building façade incorporates multiple construction materials that contribute to overall embodied energy, embodied carbon, and environmental impact. It significantly affects building operational energy as a barrier between indoor and outdoor environment. The study method examines the environmental impacts of a facade enclosure system. It models an office building over a service life of 60 years and its impact on the environment. The study also quantifies and compares the total impacts of its assembly systems throughout this life span. The case building is in the Midwest and is built of structural steel which is a common method of construction for commercial buildings. The building is 2-story high that incorporates few sustainable materials. The study calculates the environmental footprint of the building per unit area (impact to air, water, and land). It also provides an assessment of the building components (structure, enclosure, floors, roof) contribution to the total impacts where the worst burden, among its assembly systems, is identified. The outcome examines materials alternatives to use in the façade system to minimize this impact. Finally, the study employs a retrofit scenario analysis to evaluate replacing these high-impact façade materials with less impact alternatives. The study briefly calculates the reduction in the total impacts against the original façade materials.