Current Situation and Application of Commercial Complex in Metro Stations: A Case Study of Nanchang City

Guihai LIU, Jiang YU, Xiaoai CAI

College of City Construction, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China

Abstract With the rapid development of China’s urbanization process, people put forward higher requirements for the efficient use of limited land resources.Facing the huge pressure brought by factors such as land, transportation and environment, the means of transportation on the ground have long been unable to meet the needs of people in modern cities.Metro is favored by people because of its high speed, stability and large capacity, and has become the best choice to relieve congestion in the public transportation system.How to efficiently use land resources while constructing urban metro systems? This article sorts out the current status of commercial construction in Nanchang metros to study the application value of commercial complex in the metro stations of Nanchang, so as to provide some useful references for related theoretical research.

Key words Metro station, Commercial complex, Applied research

1 Introduction

1.1 Related academic history and dynamic research at home and abroadThe first city in the world to build a metro transportation system was London, England[1].In the process of construction, London attached great importance to the establishment of commercial space.In the design process, it tended to use the centralized setting mode, and the commercial area was relatively large.Montreal, Canada has a winter as long as five months.The development of underground commercial space allows people to engage in various commercial activities, without worrying about bad weather and climate[2].In practice, Japan’s metro construction time is relatively early, and the theory about the combination of metro and commerce is also relatively early.Many other countries have also conducted a lot of research on the commercial complexes of metro stations.For example, Peter Calthorpe[3]conducted extensive research inTheNextAmericanMetropolis:Ecology,Community,andtheAmericanDreamand proposed the concept of TOD(transit oriented development)in 1993.The mixed use of land is set within a radius of 400 m, laying the foundation for the development of the TOD model.In 2004, Jenksetal.[4]publishedCompactCity:ASustainableUrbanForm, which mainly discusses the disadvantages of intensive life and provides valuable reference materials for the use of underground space.

China began to build a modern commercial complex in the 1990s.Beijing International Trade Center, Shanghai Mall,etc.are regarded as primitive prototypes[5], and at this stage, there is no "collision" between business and metro.With the continuous progress of society, the effect of the integration of metro and commerce has gradually attracted people’s attention.Taking Shanghai Dapuqiao Station as a typical case, it has realized the seamless connection between urban commerce and metro construction[6].The construction of commercial complexes in the metro stations of China has experienced a long period of development.Commercial real estate in major cities is proud of being connected to the metro.In the current transportation construction of China’s cities, many first-tier cities are also developing metro station space, and most of them focus on the establishment of parking lots, commercial streets and metro integrated functions.In terms of theoretical research, in 2013, Sun Yi[7]analyzed the specific conditions of the Xinzhongguan Shopping Center at Huangzhuang Station, Haidian, the Capita Mall at Xizhimen Station and the Wangfujing Oriental Plaza in Beijing from the perspective of architecture, summarized the shortcomings and gave suggestions for optimization.Based on the analysis of existing media cases in the market of Hangzhou, Xiong Aoxueetal.[8]conducted field investigation and analysis on the basic architectural design and method application of Hangzhou media commercial space in 2014.

In summary, scholars and related professionals at home and abroad have conducted a lot of research on the space design and utilization of the commercial complexes in metro stations, and have achieved quite fruitful results.In practice, the size and scope of commercial complexes have gradually expanded.In China, the shortage of land resources and huge traffic pressure will still exist for a long time, so it is of great practical significance to think about how to integrate the metros and commercial complexes.

1.2 Current situation of commercial development in metro stations of Nanchang CityIn July, 2008, Nanchang became one of the second batch of metro declaration cities in China.It is the 25th city in China to put the metro into operation[9].The metros in Nanchang provide urban railway transportation services for Nanchang City.Currently, the Line 1 and Line 2 have been officially opened, and there are two more lines, including Line 3 and Line 4 under construction in Nanchang.Among them, the total length of the Phase 1 construction project of Line 1 is 28.843 km, with a total of 24 stations; the Line 2 has a total length of 41.6 km with 34 stations.After the metro network is formed, more than 60% of the population in Nanchang is within a walking distance of no more than 800 m to reach a metro station.After the metros are put into operation, the flow of people within the city will be made more convenient, and the driving force for outward expansion has also become stronger.However, while bringing huge economic benefits along the metros, it also brings problems such as “vendor street” and “dirty, disorderly and crowded” to urban governance, urgent to think about how to deal with.

2 Research design and content

In the urbanization construction, focusing on the perspective of commercial complex in metro station, establishing a certain theoretical basis, analyzing the current status of commercial complexes in the metro stations, looking for relevant practical cases and exploring the application value of "metro station + commerce" will provide new ideas for modern diverse cities.In this article, a research framework of "theoretical basis-current situation analysis-case investigation-analysis of reasons-eliciting ideas" was constructed, and the basic ideas can be simply expressed as shown in Fig.1.Through analysis of existing relevant cases in Nanchang City, combined with previous theoretical research, it is believed that during the construction of commercial complex in metro station, attention should be paid to the following two points.

Fig.1 Schematic diagram of basic idea

2.1 Improving the level of layout in metro stationsThe locations of shops in metro stations are more flexible, some in the aisles and some in the waiting area.The underground commercial space is part of the entire metro space.Underground shops mainly adopt two modes of operation, leasing and self-operating.Relevant departments can determine the number and scale of stores according to the width of the passage, to provide more space for metro passengers and stimulate passengers’ consumption needs for metro.

2.2 Improving the utilization of space in metro stations

Through the planning and design of the space, relevant departments and personnel realize the sharing of commercial space and metro station entrance and exit connection space, strengthening the relationship between the commercial space and the main body of the metro station.This model expands the commercial area and improves the utilization of metro station space, thereby improving the overall economic benefits of the city.In addition, the most important thing for the public is the convenience of the metro.Therefore, in terms of design, the expansion of commercial space should be taken into consideration while complying with the principle of convenient travel by metro, in order to improve the commercial and social value of the connecting space.

3 Research value

3.1 Improving the economic benefits of urban metros and increasing social employment opportunitiesThe initial investment in metro construction is large.Only by relying on government subsidies and various marketing incentives can operational balance be achieved.The value of metro is not only reflected in its transportation function, but also reflected in the value of its surrounding areas.For example, the housing prices near metros are high, the rents of commercial real estate are high, and the flow of people is stable.When the interaction between the metro and the surrounding urban space is benign, the development of underground commercial space will be the icing on the cake.Therefore, the construction value of metro more reflects the potential economic benefits of the surrounding areas.Through the construction of metro station business circle, the economic income of the urban metro will increase substantially.At the same time, a series of commercial booths are developed and leased to operators, which needs to hire a professional property management team, creating more job opportunities and increasing employment opportunities in society.

3.2 Regulating the retail vendor market and promoting the construction of a civilized and harmonious cityThe retail market is a factor that must be considered when constructing a commercial complex of metro station.Either in the most developed city or the less developed city, suppliers have become part of the informal expansion of the economy in the process of world urbanization.However, street vendors are full of controversy from the moment they enter the modern city.On the one hand, suppliers provide livelihoods for the people at the bottom and provide cheap and practical goods for cities, reducing the cost of living of low-income groups and increasing the vitality and diversity of cities.On the other hand, they takes up public space, obstruct traffic, disrupt order, and affect the appearance of the cities, and improper operation may pose a burden to food safety.Therefore, for such a group, relevant government departments usually adopt simple ban policy to maintain the image of cities and public order.However, such a policy has never worked.A simple ban will cause resistance and conflict, instead of improving people’s lives.Thus, building a commercial complex in the metro station and renting out commercial shops to mobile retail vendors, attached with an effective management system to regulate the behavior of retail vendors, can maintain the vitality and diversity of the metro station, effectively solve the "dirty, disorderly and bad" problem in the metro station, and alleviate the traffic congestion caused by the confusion of the street vendors, making a certain degree of contribution to the harmonious life of citizens and the overall appearance of the city.

3.3 Improving the operation efficiency of the city and improving the living standards of citizensThe operating efficiency of a city mainly depends on the joint use of city functions.The better the integration of the functions, the higher the efficiency of the city.The construction of commercial complex in metro station is mainly to organically combine the transportation function and the commercial function, thus promoting the development of local space.The commercial function attracts a stable source of customers, satisfies people’s travel shopping needs, and alleviates local traffic congestion in time.In addition, the establishment of commercial function can also increase the passenger flow in metro station.Metro station is usually selected in the node, commercial, cultural and political center of the city.These central areas often have high building density, high land prices, and poor landscape environments.This feature of land use is not conducive to the sustainable development and style protection of the city.Developing underground commercial space and combining underground commercial space with metro station will reduce building density, provide transportation hubs and landscape nodes for the city, and further improve the quality of life of citizens.