Growing up in the New Haven area, nothing was more exciting than a train ride to New York City on commuter rail. And arriving at beautiful Grand Central Terminal was the cherry on top.
But if Grand Central looked like Penn Station (so, in other words, ugly), would 10-year-old me have been just as stoked about the trip? Did Grand Central’s majesty imbue trips to New York with excitement, or did the excitement about those trips make Grand Central special?
Both, according to a presentation at this year’s Transportation Research Board meeting. And station architects should plan for that.
“We’re asking stations to help travelers and also be economic catalysts,” said Trent Lethco, a transportation principal at urban design firm ARUP. “But we’ve forgotten how to build great stations.”
Transportation terminals wear a lot of hats, according to Lethco. Obviously, they get people from A to B. But they also serve as landmarks, becoming tourist destinations in their own right (like Grand Central). And a great station can make a great first impression on a visitor.
To make it easier for planners, Lethco created a scoring card for key characteristics of great stations. Great stations are:
- Inviting
- Inspiring
- Intuitive
- Informative
- Integrated (with multiple transportation options)
- Inclusive
- Memorable
Some stations hone in on particular characteristics. The new Canary Wharf station in London leans into its history with a design reminiscent of a ship in harbor (except upside-down).
Budapest’s Fővám tér Metro station emphasizes inclusivity with skylights that bring natural light down to the underground platforms. This helps people who are uncomfortable going underground feel better using the metro.
But how can policymakers justify spending millions – if not billions – on aesthetically-pleasing station design, when there is a boatload of maintenance and service improvements to make? This was a massive criticism of New York’s new World Trade Center train station, which cost $4 billion. (As a comparison, the city estimates that it needs $60 billion to bring the subway system to a state of good repair.)
“The public will forget schedule overruns, but they will never forgive bad designs,” Lethco said to my question. “The World Trade Center is about honoring the trauma of the city.”
Check out some of our other articles about stations, design, and art: