China is increasingly planning urban districts around public transport rather than private cars, according to the article. The approach, known as Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), places housing, offices, shops, schools and other services close to metro or train stations, with the aim of making many routine trips possible without driving.
The model is intended to ease traffic and emissions, limit sprawling development and improve access to jobs and services. It can also bring more intermodal stations, pedestrian-priority streets and bicycle lanes. The article contrasts this with car-oriented development, in which homes and shopping centres are built farther apart and daily travel often requires a car.
TOD is not a Chinese invention: the article points to earlier examples in Curitiba, Copenhagen and Tokyo. But it says China is applying the approach at exceptional scale, alongside the expansion of high-speed rail and metro networks. Shenzhen is building new districts around the model, while the city of Xiong’an has used it in its development from the outset. The shift does not mean China intends to eliminate cars: vehicle manufacturing remains important to its economy, but the article describes a changing urban role for cars, with public transport gaining prominence.