Hong Kong’s Rail-plus-Property (R+P) model, in which the rail operator and developers jointly deliver high-rise leasehold flat units above railway stations/depots, has been praised as a self-financing best practice model of transit-oriented development and land values capture in East Asia and globally. Drawing on case studies of large-scale R+P developments in Hong Kong, this paper examines how Deeds of Mutual Covenant, the uneven allocation of undivided shares, and developer-appointed estate management enable developers to retain long-term control over maintenance, governance and redevelopment decisions after residents purchase their flats. The paper conceptualises this arrangement as a “spatio-legal contract”: a spatialised form of property hegemony embedded within Hong Kong's leasehold land-property system.
Based on fieldwork conducted in 2023–2024, prior to the 2025 Wang Fuk Court fire (“Hong Kong’s Grenfell Tower Fire”), the study shows how these arrangements constrain owners' ability to govern their own buildings. Residents describe a loss of security and control within homes they legally own, producing experiences of un-homing and “emplaced displacement” driven not by eviction but by compulsory large-scale maintenance, opaque governance structures and growing awareness of developer hegemony. Interestingly, flats under R+P are aspired by general Hong Kongers. Beyond Hong Kong, the paper contributes to debates on leasehold and commonhold reform in the UK, highlighting how the travelling Rail-plus-Property Model that uses land and property to subsidise property developments may generate future vulnerabilities for small owners from proper control over housing governance and the need to rethink what counts as just ‘best practice’.

This research examines how TOD, as globally circulating planning concept, is mobilised, translated and adapted in Malaysia and Wales. It explores how explicit of TOD in Malaysia and more implicit TOD aligned approaches in Wales. Guided by an ordinary cities perspective and policy mobility frameworks, the study traces how TOD concept travels and is reshaped through institutional, political and transport-planning processes. The research employs a comparative qualitative design combining document analysis with semi-structured interviews involving planners, transport authorities, regional agencies, developers, academics and community actors. Data were analysed through a thematic approach to compare policy actors’ interpretations of TOD, the framing of “best practice”, the institutional and political constraints in shaping translation into practice across the two settings.

Finding reveals contrasting translations of TOD. In Malaysia, TOD is explicitly embedded in within planning frameworks, rail-based development strategies and density incentives. Policy actors often frame TOD through development narratives emphasising intensification and coordinated delivery. However, policy visibility does not necessarily produce mobility alignment as affordability challenges, parking provision, car dependency and first and last mile connectivity continue to shape outcomes. In Wales, TOD is less frequently named, yet TOD aligned principles circulate through Metro investment, active travel, placemaking and regional initiatives. Here, the challenges lies less in policy absence than in coordinating connectivity and development objectives.

The analysis suggest that TOD can move beyond label, not as a fixed model, but as a policy idea reassemble through governance, actors and local mobility systems.

In a rapidly expanding megacity, macro-scale mobility data often overlook the everyday experiences of peripheral residents who regularly commute long distances to the city centre. While the peripheral area offers more housing alternatives, the physical and psychological burdens of long commute present significant challenges to commuters wellbeing. This research evaluates these dynamics by investigating how daily commuting behaviours and experiences influence the subjective wellbeing (SWB) of public transport users within Greater Jakarta, Indonesia.

Integrating quantitative survey data with in-depth qualitative insights, this study uncovers a spatial paradox. Quantitatively, a hierarchical OLS regression analysis (N = 424) demonstrates that for public transport users, objective structural factors, such as commuting duration and frequency, show an insignificant correlation with life satisfaction. Instead, emotional attachment to the home municipality emerges as the strongest positive predictor of wellbeing, outweighing the physical exhaustion of long commute and functioning as a "Sanctuary Effect".

Qualitatively, semi-structured interviews and travel diaries further explain these statistical findings by revealing how public transport commuters navigate their journeys, spatially and emotionally. Interviews show that participants willingly accept long commutes as a calculated and rational trade-off due to peripheral housing affordability and family stability. Furthermore, travel diaries capture distinct emotional shifts, where commuters experience peak stress during transit overcrowding, followed by a sense of relief and comfort when approaching their home destination. By focusing on the lived experiences of daily commutes, this study provides a clearer picture of how long commutes from peripheral residential areas shape commuters SWB.