What’s bussin’? The Chatt en Route transit stop design challenge.
🚏What is Chatt en Route?
In 2019, the Chattanooga Design Studio created a public growth action plan with a survey that resulted in the discovery that bus stops are some of the most vibrantly active places in Chattanooga’s innovation district.
This finding eventually resulted in Chatt en Route, a project that reimagines local transit stops — aka, piloting, testing, and refining a way to recreate transit stops.
Other aspects of the project include the Patten Porch Project + the installation of new Market Street bus stop seating .
🚏The presentation
Yesterday, a presentation took place to share 2 design concepts for transit stops + allow community members to provide input and ask questions.
The 2 designs are created to be modular, so they can be configured to work in various conditions and areas.
🚏The designs
Design 1
Stop locations: Warner Avenue between Holtzclaw + the McCallie bridge; UTC Greenway between UTC + Yellow Deli
Rendering + layout of the first group’s design at Warner Park. | Photo provided by Chattanooga Design Studio
Key designs elements
- A bus stop that is part of the sidewalk + claims space
- Movable ✖️ and ➕ shaped seating that allows transit users to sit as close to people as desired
- Canopies featuring a steel roof plane fit for solar panels + vertical fins that diffuse the sun and shed water
- Option for electronic charging stations along the steel “trunks” of the shelters
- Traveling art projects that could move along transit stops
Design 2
Stop locations: St. Elmo Food City stop on top of the hill; Parkridge Hospital stop on McCallie Avenue
Rendering + layout of the second group’s design at Food City | Photo provided by Chattanooga Design Studio
Key design elements
- Wifi + charging stations
- Spaces for multi-modal transportation (ie., bikes)
- Incorporating native or seasonal vegetation
- Kaleidoscope artwork by local artist Richard Foster
- Folding benches + mounted, bar-style surfaces to create more space
- Pedestrian safety measures (HAWK signals, speed tables, etc.)
🚏What’s next?
The goal is to eventually pilot a transit stop design at one of the locations. Currently, you can learn more, share feedback, and continue checking in on the project at Chatt en Route’s website.
Poll