Modernizing the transportation network

Otterpool Park Mobility Hub Design Guidelines

Spanning 1,500 acres of the Kent countryside, Otterpool Park will be a new garden town centered around the historic Westenhanger Castle near Hythe. The site offers excellent transport connectivity and benefits from having its own railway station, which provides commuter access to surrounding towns and regional routes to London. The new community will have upwards of 8,500 homes, 9,000 jobs, schools, medical and leisure facilities, public squares and parks, and mixed-use retail and businesses—and mobility hubs connecting it all.

Otterpool Park’s vision is to create a community that embraces its history and natural surroundings: a creative place enriched with green spaces where people can lead healthy, active, and sustainable lifestyles. This required a modern way of approaching the transportation network so that personal vehicle travel would be secondary to better mobility options. In response, our team created the mobility hub design guidelines for the town's phase one development. These guidelines introduce various emerging mobility modes and services, such as car clubs, shared e-bikes and e-scooters, and demand-responsive microtransit. Additionally, the guidelines address goods movement with options for e-cargo bikes, delivery robots, and parcel lockers. The mobility hubs serve three main user groups: public transit commuters, recreationalists/students, and residents at three different scales.

Now complete, the guidelines include design recommendations for location of mobility hubs, layout and hierarchy of modes and services, vulnerable user safety and accessibility, and sustainability assets. The mobility hubs are designed to connect residents safely and conveniently from their front door to key destinations and public transit throughout Otterpool Park and beyond.