public transit – Page 2 – DesignApplause

Chicago river boathouses. Studio gang.

Apr 28, 2013

click > enlarge

all images courtesy of studio gang

Revitalizing the Chicago River has been a topic of discussion in earnest in recent years. In late 2011 the city announced architects Jeanne Gang and Chris Lee would design four boat houses featuring kayak rentals and storage as well as concessions. One of the boathouses was placed on the North Branch called Bubbly Creek, site of the the Union Stockyards for nearly a hundred years. Here’s early images.

The undulating roof is inspired by eadweard muybridge’s famous experimental photographs of the movement of rowing translated into alternating inverted ‘v’ and ‘m’ shaped structural trusses. Diffused south light through glazed clerestories serve to ventilate in the summer and warm the floor slab in the winter. Kayak and sculls have been appearing more and more along this stretch. The city’s youth rowing teams are expected to use the facilities.

photo: rowing | eadweard muybridge | 1887

Anticipated completion is Spring 2013. [ studio gang ]

NYC subway installing smart touchscreen wayfinding system.

Mar 21, 2013

click > enlarge

Starting this year, 90 touch-screen kiosks are scheduled to be installed in the New York City subway system, a system that serves 2 million commuters and tourists a day. The 47-inch touchscreen displays will be encased in kiosks throughout the city. Tapping any subway station will immediately chart out the best route of getting there, and the kiosks — will count down to a train’s arrival and list any delays or outages commuters should be aware of. A digital content loop will also be displayed. The concept was announced in 2010 and trial kiosks have been operating well enough for a year in select locations.

There’s also discussion that the maps could support MTA-approved third-party apps, and will include points of interest so travelers won’t need to know which station is nearest their destination. The backend is designed to be ‘smart’ keeping track of most frequented destinations to aid in way-finding and suggesting destination. The units will contain video cameras and microphones as well, tools that could be enabled in emergency situations for two-way chatter. There may also be real-time news when disruptions occur or are forecasted such as Sandy.

The touchscreen may seem outdated to some, wi-fi, comes to mind. But this is a public system and only 60% of MTA’s riders have smartphones. But there are third-party apps available on iTunes.

The photos in this post raise the question of data visualization design and are the maps shown the best graphic system? I travel a lot and find the KickMap model the best. Going to different cities with different way-finding models reinforce the concept of the adopting one nationwide system.

lower manhattan

an 11p > 6a map

In the end no system will do everything for everyone. The real-time information is handy for the daily commuter. For the tourist in a city for the first time nothing can replace a little route planning before you get on the train platform. And carrying a current route map is recommended.

Fastcompany Update: In response to comments and tweets regarding sanitation issues, Control Group gave us the following statement: “One of the principles of our design was to minimize touch and gestures with one click navigation. Also, the DST display works with any object–finger, nail, pen, etc. And the screen is in waterproof enclosure to enable regular cleaning. And just like the thousands of Metrocard machines in the NYC subway system that feature a touchscreen, the MTA will maintain the new kiosks.” I might also add, our society shared payphones for decades, and those touched our hands and our faces.

[ control group ] [ kickmap ] [ kickmap nyc design ]

London's tube turns 150.

Jan 15, 2013

london’s tube turned 150 on 9 january 2013. abraham lincoln had just published the emancipation proclamation. via globalpost [RK]

World's longest high-speed rail on beijing-guangzhou bullet train.

Dec 28, 2012

CRH380 harmony bullet at a wuhan high-speed train maintenance base | click > enlarge

China opened the world’s longest high-speed rail line when a link between Beijing and the southern metropolis of Guangzhou on 26 December 2012.

an organized experience trip from beijing to zhengzhou, 22 december 2012

A trip between Beijing and Guangzhou, a distance of 2,294 km (1,400 mi), will be cut from 20 hours to eight hours. The Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railway will travel through the cities of Shijiazhuang in North China’s Hebei Province, Wuhan in Central China’s Hubei Province, and Shenzhen in South China’s Guangdong Province, the China Daily reported earlier.

The ticket prices for the new line have not yet been released by the Ministry of Railways. But the report said that they will likely cost more than 900 yuan ($144) for a second-class seat, much more than the current prices of 253 yuan for a seat and around 450 yuan for a sleeper ticket.

During the first 11 months of the year, fixed-asset investment in railways, including railway infrastructure investment and train purchases, totaled 506.97 billion yuan ($81.1 billion), reversing 15 months of previous decline, the Ministry of Railways said on Monday.

Total investment in fixed railway assets during the period increased 3.1 percent year-on-year, including 431.9 billion yuan worth of investment in capital construction, up 9 percent compared to the same of stage last year, according to the ministry. Earlier in October, the ministry increased this year’s investment to 630 billion yuan ($101.73 billion), as part of Beijing’s latest efforts to boost the slowing economy. This is at least the fourth time this year that the ministry has raised its investment target since the start of July.

The new line is equivalent to San Diego to Vancouver / Hartford to Miami / Chicago to Miami for about $144 for second class. Would high-speed rail work in US? Doesn’t seem like US has the optimum population density or the right destinations for tourist or business travel yet.

Yellow cab goes green in chicago.

Feb 5, 2010

chicago loves the blues. now yellow goes green.
chicago is honoring a commitment made years ago to have a greener taxi. yellow is the first. yellow group plans an initial deployment of 100 new CNG taxis under its yellow cab subsidiary, which it says is america’s oldest and largest continuously operating taxi fleet.

Read more about CNG and how solar and wind are feeling the heat.

Resources:
what is cng?
inhabitat
chicago tribune
yellow goes green in dallas
green tech: solar / wind feel heat from cng
environmental leader
cleancngvehicles.org
cng industry

London's new bus!

Mar 16, 2009

The double-decker is back. Scrapped by Ken Livingston in 2005 – he also ordered articulated ( locals call it a “bendy” ) buses in 2002 but it seems no Londoner likes them.
above: co-winner foster/ aston martin design

above: co-winner capoco design ( the bulgemaster )

above: héctor serrano, miñarro garcía andjavier esteban’s otherwise sensible runner-up has Union Jack hubcaps

Boris Johnson’s competition to design an heir to the Routemaster, the double-decker, has yielded two winners, and an eccentric convoy of runners-up. Our favorite is the Foster design but the article implies that the Capoco may have been selected by the bureaucrats before the competition.

For full story