that there are a significant number of land reserves available in buildable area (Bauzone ) in small and mid-sized communities. However due to the lack of strategic planning in such communities, these land reserves don‘t receive the proper attention as future development potentials. Considering railways as one of the major public transportation modes in Switzerland, one might properly suppose that any changes in railway networks can impulse the (re -) development trends and transform the spatial structure in different areas. This research proposal addresses the aim, methodology and general structure of a doctoral dissertation on the opportunities and prospects of an integrated long-term spatial and transportation development alongside the major railway corridors in Switzerland, ending to the metropolitan region of Zurich.