Public transportation is on the rise due to increasing ecological concerns, a more efficient use of space and an improved city-planning featuring transport oriented development (TOD). As a result, new modalities emerge and stations are getting busier which can lead to a narrow design focus on the nodal function of the station, neglecting other aspects of the station. "
Due to the fact that many stations are located at central locations within cities, they have a strong influence on the quality of city life around them. Traditionally, the station has been seen solely as a node (connecting all the different modalities efficiently; moving people). Nowadays paradoxically, the station is seen increasingly as a place in its own right as well (by being an active part of the city; inviting people to stay). By diminishing the station’s barrier-effect and by implementing public functions within the station’s realm, the station can be integrated better within its surrounding city, creating an urban station that enhances city life.
The evolving role of the station has been the subject of many recent studies. However, the research mostly remains to be theoretical. More practical design principles and requirements may help in achieving the ambitions regarding creating an integrated urban station. Literary research was performed into the multiple facets of station design, which led to the formulation of six design principles for contemporary urban station design. The main research question is as follows:

“Are the six design principles: multimodality, functional mix, connectivity, spatial quality, visibility & flexibility apt contributors to the integration of an urban multimodal station within its surrounding cityscape?”

In recent years, many stations have been redesigned with special attention to this node-versus-place-paradox, focusing more on the station as a place. This research aims to analyse seven important international multimodal railway stations in The Netherlands and Belgium to see how these stations handle their complexity and aim to integrate within their surrounding city.
The aim is to test the proposed design principles via the analyses of these seven chosen stations: Amsterdam Centraal, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam Centraal, Antwerpen Centraal, Utrecht Centraal, Arnhem Centraal and Amsterdam Zuid. The analyses are drawn on Nolli maps, in order to gain insight into the public realm surrounding the station and the connections between the two.
As the results point out, the chosen design principles appear to be fitting for creating a well-integrated urban station. However, six design spaces have been formulated in addition to the design principles, each accompanying respectively one principle. The spaces act as an addition to the programme of requirement as provided by the commissioner, embodying the different design principles into explicitly formulated spaces. Further research is advisable. Especially multimodal station from France, Germany or England can give crucial new insights as the stations are generally larger and their urban surroundings are often more densely populated.

Further research into the airport city concept can also prove worthy, as the development in airports is a few years ahead on the developments around urban stations, airports can provide valuable examples and case studies.