For only $155,000 a light sculpture has helped transform Stamford, Conn.'s unloved train station - “a building that has a harshness almost unequaled in contemporary architecture” - into a pulsating beacon "reminiscent of a Mondrian" painting.
It's pretty amazing what a few light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can do to our most pedestrian pieces of infrastructure. In Stamford, Connecticut a $155,000 grant intended to bring art to outdoor spaces has done wonders for the city's "drab" train station, reports Alison Leigh Cowan. "City Hall used its $155,000 grant as kindling for a competition that did not ask applicants to tear down or remodel the unattractive building so much as reimagine it as a large blank canvas."
Cowan explains the design, which was conceived by Sandy Garnett, a sculptor and painter, with a team that included "Joy Wulke, an environmental artist who runs Projects for a New Millennium; Steve Hamelin, a lighting expert who toured with Bruce Springsteen and Michael Jackson; and Jamie Burnett, an electrician well versed in theatrical design."
"Flexible, light-emitting diode strips — 1,275 feet in all — have been mounted along three sides of the building, which overlooks Interstate 95. At night, the strips offer a riot of colors that is complemented by 24 lights that are beamed onto the walls from across the street."
"Other cities like New Britain commissioned traditional outdoor art like murals with their awards," notes Cowan. "Stamford, however, asked applicants to suggest ways of using light because it is a more playful medium."
"Applicants recalled that they had their work cut out for them, and not just because of the limited budget. 'I always said it looked like something in Minsk,' Stamford’s director of economic development, Laure Aubuchon, said of the station, which she passes through twice daily as a reverse commuter. 'Which is probably insulting Minsk.'”
FULL STORY: At Sundown, Train Station Trades In Drab for Dazzling

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie