After 25 years of scattershot station design, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is bringing rationality and consistency to the design of three new rail projects. A "kit of parts" has been designed by Johnson Fain.
"[L.A.]'s 80 train stops play host to more than one thousand design variations, from architectural differences to a range of trash cans and paint colors," observes Laura J. Nelson. But in an effort to improve wayfinding, simplify maintenance and "make the system feel more sophisticated and durable," Metro has adopted a design template for three new projects: the Crenshaw Line, the Downtown Regional Connector subway and the first phase of the Purple Line extension.
"The template, which staffers call 'a kit of parts,' calls for simple, even utilitarian, elements that can be rearranged to fit underground, ground-level and elevated stations," explains Nelson. "The designs are intended to help passengers find their way through the system. Every station object, from televisions to turnstiles, will have a uniform look. Like elements will be grouped together."
Read the full story: Metro rail stations are being planned with design in mind
D.C. Subway Makeover Plans Court Controversy
For the first time since the system was opened in 1976, Washington D.C.'s iconic subway stations are getting a substantial redesign. Preservationists and historians are questioning the appropriateness of the changes.
LA Metro Increases Highway Expansion Budget by 40%
Metro has plans to expand freeways including the 5, 105, and 405, among others.
Study: Metro Systems Cut Driving Significantly More Than Other Forms of Transit
European cities with subway systems have a much lower share of car trips than cities with tram- or bus-based transit systems.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority