By Shashikant Nishant Sharma

Head of Research, Track2Training, New Delhi, India

As cities expand and mobility demands intensify, urban planners face a dual challenge: improving safety on urban roads while ensuring that transport systems remain accessible, efficient, and environmentally sustainable. Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)—a planning approach that integrates land use with high-quality public transport—has emerged as a crucial framework for addressing this challenge. Recent research in India and globally demonstrates that TOD can significantly influence travel behaviour, enhance road safety, and support inclusive mobility for diverse user groups.

TOD as a Foundation for Safe and Sustainable Mobility

TOD promotes compact, mixed-use development around transit nodes, encouraging walking, cycling, and public transport use. Sharma, Kumar, and Dehalwar (2024) emphasize that the precursors of TOD—density, diversity, design, destination accessibility, and distance to transit—directly shape how people move through cities. These built-environment elements can reduce dependence on private vehicles, lower congestion, and minimize exposure to crash risks.

The interaction between land use and transportation has long been central to sustainable planning. In their comprehensive review, Sharma and Dehawar (2025) note that land-use–transportation interaction (LUTI) models serve as crucial tools for managing growth in rapidly urbanizing contexts, allowing planners to simulate how changes in land use or transit accessibility affect travel patterns and safety outcomes.

Driving Safety and the Role of Advanced Technologies

Urban road safety remains a major concern, especially in developing economies. Leveraging emerging technologies, Sharma, Singh, and Dehalwar (2024) use surrogate safety analysis to illustrate how video analytics, sensor networks, and automated conflict detection can help identify high-risk intersections long before crashes occur. Such evidence-based techniques allow cities to shift from reactive to preventive safety management.

Beyond traditional engineering, the application of digital twins and generative AI is transforming last-mile logistics and safety planning. Sharma (2025) demonstrates that data-rich simulation models can optimize delivery routes, reduce carbon emissions, and enhance operational safety, offering insights that can be extended to passenger transport environments as well.

Pedestrian Safety: A Core Pillar of TOD

A key objective of TOD is to improve non-motorized mobility. In a major systematic review, Sharma and Dehalwar (2025) highlight that pedestrian safety is influenced not only by infrastructure but also by perception, behaviour, land-use mix, and enforcement quality. Evidence suggests that well-designed footpaths, shorter crossing distances, active street edges, and better lighting significantly improve walkability and reduce conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles.

Research from hill cities further indicates that terrain plays an important role in access behaviour. Lalramsangi, Garg, and Sharma (2025), studying route choices to public open spaces in hilly terrains, found that safety, slope gradient, visual continuity, and comfort strongly affect walking decisions—factors that must be integrated into TOD design guidelines for topographically complex cities.

Public Transport Satisfaction: The Missing Link in Road Safety

Safe roads rely heavily on strong public transport networks that draw commuters away from private vehicles. Using discrete choice models, Lodhi, Jaiswal, and Sharma (2024) assessed bus user satisfaction in Bhopal and showed that reliability, wait times, comfort, and stop-level accessibility determine whether commuters continue using buses or shift to riskier, private modes. Their findings underscore that safe mobility cannot be designed through infrastructure alone—service quality is equally essential.

In TOD zones, first- and last-mile access is critical. Yadav, Dehalwar, and Sharma (2025) synthesize global evidence to show that connectivity gaps often reduce the effectiveness of TOD, pushing users toward unsafe informal modes. A complementary study by Yadav et al. (2025) highlights that climate-sensitive design—such as shaded pathways and heat-resilient materials—significantly influences last-mile satisfaction in Tier-2 Indian cities. Addressing these factors enhances both safety and transit adoption.

Policy Insights: Planning for Inclusivity and Safety

Urban transport policies must evolve to reflect demographic diversity. In their analysis of India’s National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP), Sharma and Dehalwar (2025) argue that senior citizens face multiple mobility barriers—from unsafe crossings to limited access to public transport—and that policies must explicitly integrate age-friendly planning, universal design, and senior-sensitive safety audits.

Similarly, the growing body of TOD literature synthesized by Sharma and Dehalwar (2025) demonstrates that TOD not only improves mobility but also contributes to local economic development by reshaping land markets, stimulating commercial activities, and supporting job creation around transit nodes.

Conclusion: Integrating Safety, Behaviour, and Design for Future Cities

Urban planning is increasingly moving toward evidence-driven, multimodal frameworks where land use, transport design, user satisfaction, and safety are interlinked. The emerging Indian literature—spanning pedestrian behaviour, bus satisfaction, LUTI modelling, TOD precursors, and digital safety analytics—provides a strong foundation for rethinking how cities can become safer and more sustainable.

Driving safety is no longer a standalone engineering issue; it is a product of integrated planning. TOD offers a robust pathway to achieve this integration by reshaping urban form around transit access, promoting non-motorized mobility, and enabling safer, more efficient movement for all.

References

Lalramsangi, V., Garg, Y. K., & Sharma, S. N. (2025). Route choices to access public open spaces in hill cities. Environment and Urbanization ASIA, 16(2), 283-299.  https://doi.org/10.1177/09754253251388721

Lodhi, A. S., Jaiswal, A., & Sharma, S. N. (2024). Assessing bus users’ satisfaction using discrete choice models: A case of Bhopal. Innovative Infrastructure Solutions, 9(11), 437. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41062-024-01652-w

Sharma, S. N., Kumar, A., & Dehalwar, K. (2024). The precursors of transit-oriented development. Economic and Political Weekly, 59(14), 16–20. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10939448

Sharma, S. N., Singh, D., & Dehalwar, K. (2024). Surrogate safety analysis: Leveraging advanced technologies for safer roads. Suranaree Journal of Science and Technology, 31(4), 010320(1–14). https://doi.org/10.55766/sujst-2024-04-e03837

Sharma, S. N., & Dehalwar, K. (2025). A systematic literature review of pedestrian safety in urban transport systems. Journal of Road Safety, 36(4). https://doi.org/10.33492/JRS-D-25-4-2707507

Sharma, S. N., & Dehalwar, K. (2025). A systematic literature review of transit-oriented development to assess its role in economic development of cities. Transportation in Developing Economies, 11(2), 23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40890-025-00245-1

Sharma, S. N., & Dehawar, K. (2025). Review of land use transportation interaction model in smart urban growth management. European Transport / Trasporti Europei, 103, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17315313

Sharma, S. N., & Dehalwar, K. (2025). Examining the inclusivity of India’s National Urban Transport Policy for senior citizens. In D. S.-K. Ting & J. A. Stagner (Eds.), Transforming healthcare infrastructure (1st ed., pp. 115–134). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003513834-5

Sharma, S. N. (2025). Generative AI and digital twins for sustainable last-mile logistics: Enabling green operations and electric vehicle integration. In A. Awad & D. Al Ahmari (Eds.), Accelerating logistics through generative AI, digital twins, and autonomous operations (Chapter 12). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3373-7006-4.ch012 

Yadav, K., Dehalwar, K. & Sharma, S.N. (2025). Assessing the factors affecting first and last mile accessibility in transit-oriented development: a literature review. GeoJournal 90, 298 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-025-11546-8 

Yadav, K., Dehalwar, K., Sharma, S.N. & Yadav, Surabhi (2025). Understanding User Satisfaction in Last-Mile Connectivity under Transit-Oriented Development in Tier 2 Indian Cities: A Climate-Sensitive Perspective. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 

By Kavita Dehalwar

Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials globally, accounting for a significant portion of the built environment. However, its production is responsible for approximately 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions, mainly due to cement manufacturing. In response to this environmental challenge, scientists and engineers have developed biocrete, a cutting-edge material poised to revolutionize the construction industry.

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What is Biocrete?

Biocrete, also known as bio-concrete or living concrete, is an innovative material infused with biological components, typically microorganisms, to enhance its properties and sustainability. Unlike traditional concrete, biocrete integrates living systems that provide self-healing, reduced carbon footprint, and improved durability.

Biocrete comes in various forms, tailored to specific applications:

1. Self-healing biocrete: Incorporates bacteria that produce calcium carbonate to seal cracks.
2. Biologically-derived cement replacements: Use microbial processes to generate bio-based binders.
3. Algae-based biocrete: Employs algae for carbon sequestration during production.

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The Science Behind Biocrete

1. Self-Healing Mechanism

Biocrete’s self-healing properties leverage bacteria such as Bacillus species, which remain dormant within the material until a crack forms. When exposed to water and oxygen through the crack, these bacteria become active, consuming calcium lactate and producing calcium carbonate. This calcium carbonate fills and seals the cracks, restoring the material’s integrity.

2. Microbial Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation (MICP)

Microorganisms, such as Sporosarcina pasteurii, are utilized to precipitate calcium carbonate through metabolic processes. This biological method offers a sustainable alternative to conventional cement by reducing the need for high-temperature processes.

3. Algae-Based Solutions

Certain strains of algae, like Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, capture atmospheric CO₂ during photosynthesis and produce biomass and calcium carbonate. Integrating these algae into concrete production not only offsets carbon emissions but also creates a renewable cycle.

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Advantages of Biocrete

1. Environmental Benefits:
   • Reduced Carbon Emissions: Biocrete eliminates or minimizes the use of traditional Portland cement, significantly lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
   • Carbon Sequestration: Algae-based and microbial processes can actively sequester carbon during production.
2. Durability:
   • Self-healing properties extend the lifespan of structures by reducing maintenance and preventing water infiltration through cracks.
   • Enhanced resistance to chemical attacks, especially in marine environments.
3. Resource Efficiency:
   • Utilizes biological and renewable inputs, reducing reliance on non-renewable resources.
   • Potential for using waste products, such as agricultural residues, as feedstocks for microbial processes.
4. Cost Savings:
   • Lower long-term maintenance costs due to self-healing.
   • Potential for reduced material costs as production scales up.

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Applications of Biocrete

1. Infrastructure Repair: Self-healing biocrete is particularly useful for repairing bridges, tunnels, and roadways, where traditional maintenance is challenging and costly.
2. Green Building Projects: Architects and developers increasingly use biocrete in sustainable construction to meet environmental certifications.
3. Marine Structures: Biocrete’s resistance to seawater makes it ideal for offshore platforms, seawalls, and docks.
4. Customizable Design: Its properties can be tailored for specific applications, such as soundproofing or thermal insulation.

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Challenges and Limitations

While biocrete holds immense promise, it faces several challenges:

1. Production Costs: Currently, biocrete is more expensive to produce than traditional concrete due to limited scalability and the cost of biological components.
2. Standardization: The construction industry lacks clear guidelines and standards for integrating biocrete into mainstream projects.
3. Durability in Extreme Conditions: The long-term performance of biocrete under extreme environmental stress requires further testing.
4. Public Perception: Adoption may be hindered by skepticism about the reliability of living materials in construction.

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The Future of Biocrete

The growing emphasis on sustainable development and green technologies is likely to accelerate the adoption of biocrete. Researchers are exploring ways to:

• Scale up production while reducing costs.
• Improve the efficiency and resilience of biological processes.
• Integrate biocrete with other smart construction technologies, such as sensors and robotics.

Governments and private organizations can play a pivotal role by funding research, creating incentives, and establishing standards that encourage the adoption of biocrete in construction projects.

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Conclusion

Biocrete represents a transformative innovation in the construction industry. By blending biology with traditional materials, it offers a sustainable solution to the environmental challenges posed by conventional concrete. While hurdles remain, ongoing advancements in material science and biotechnology are set to make biocrete a cornerstone of sustainable infrastructure. As the world strives to reduce its carbon footprint, biocrete stands out as a promising step toward a greener future.

References

Hayakawa, M., Matsuoka, Y., & Shindoh, T. (1993). Development and application of superworkable concrete. In Special Concretes-Workability and Mixing (pp. 185-192). CRC Press.

Kerley, M. (2004). Structural identification of phases constituting biocrete acid resistant mortar.

Sharma, S. N., Prajapati, R., Jaiswal, A., & Dehalwar, K. (2024, June). A Comparative Study of the Applications and Prospects of Self-healing Concrete/Biocrete and Self-Sensing Concrete. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 1326, No. 1, p. 012090). IOP Publishing.