by Clare Cahan
Cities today are suffering from public dependence on the automobile and a tendency to sprawl.
The preference afforded to privatized means of mobility and dwelling has diminished opportunities for interaction and exchange in the public realm.
The role of public transportation infrastructure must be elevated to reconnect our fractured communities.
To achieve this, the identity of place must be translated into infrastructure – something that is by definition a regularized system of support.
Combining the utility of infrastructure and a contextual reading of place, stations have a unique opportunity to communicate to the public. One station simultaneously reflects the identity of the regional network, the particular line it is located along, and the neighborhood it serves.
An investigation into the need for redesign of transportation infrastructure in new Orleans explores t
he relationship between the ephemeral experience of mobility through a city of shifting identity.
Stations designed along a local and an express line demonstrate an approach to transportation planning and design that reinforces local identity in order to redefine the city.
Photos by Jeff Junker