Browsing by Subject "Mass transit"
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Item Art in Transportation: A Study of Integrating Art and Aesthetic Design into America's Roadways and Mass Transit Systems(2013-05) Crowder, Samantha; Patricia, Westbrook; Melissa, Currie; John, WhiteIt is the purpose of this research to chronicle the evolution of art, public art, and how it relates to modes of transportation. The current state of transportation in the United States has grown increasingly further away from artistic design and more toward engineering efficiency, leaving the Nation’s transportation corridors without character and identity. America’s roadway systems in correlation with art will be analyzed on three scales: highways and open roads, interchanges, and streets and arterials located in urban areas. It is found that four basic concepts contribute successful public art in a transportation setting: size, level of detail, functionality, and representation. Is the size of the artwork appropriate for the scale of the roadway or transit corridor? Does the artwork showcase the desired level of detail for the scale of the roadway or transit corridor so that the detail can be appreciated by the users and their corresponding speed? Does the artwork accomplish its purpose of increasing the aesthetics of the site while still retaining functionality? And finally, does the artwork appropriately represent the community in which it inhabits? By employing the four design principles: size, level of detail, functionality, and representation to future transportation projects more artistic and unique designs can be created with public tax dollars and help to build successful public art projects.Item The feasibility of transit-oriented development at the bus rapid transit stations in Austin(2013-12) Kniejski, Lauren Katharine; Kahn, Terry D.The population of Austin, Texas is projected to reach 1.6 million people by the year 2040, which doubles the city’s current population. The populations of cities in neighboring counties, Hays and Williamson, are projected to experience even more growth within the same time frame. For the first time in history, over half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, so sustainable development is currently relevant for urban planning. Until 2010, Austin lacked a mass public transportation system. Currently, Capital Metro, Austin’s main public transportation operator, operates the Red Line of the MetroRail, a commuter rail system. The Red Line only serves a specific subset of the population in Austin and its northern neighbors, running from the city of Leander, through northern Austin, before its final stop in downtown Austin. Because of this, Capital Metro will begin operations on a new method of rapid mass transit: a bus rapid transit system called MetroRapid. With two lines opening in 2014, MetroRapid will function as a mass rapid public transit option for two of the busiest north-south corridors in the city. The opening of MetroRapid will provide opportunities to stimulate growth in areas focused around this transit system. Transit-oriented development can be a method of guiding Austin’s future growth that will theoretically facilitate and encourage public transit use. The benefits to such growth would be reduced congestion, less dependency on automobiles and fostering communities that are vibrant and self-sustaining. This paper defines Transit-Oriented Developments (TODs), Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and analyzes the MetroRapid stations themselves as Austin moves toward becoming a sustainable city.