My Kind of Transit: Rethinking Public Transportation (Center for American Places - My Kind of . . .)

In __My Kind of Transit__, Darrin Nordahl argues that like life itself, transportation isn't only about the destination, but the journey. Public transit reduces traffic and pollution, yet few of us are willing to get out of our cars and onto subways and buses. But Nordahl demonstrates that when using public transit is an enjoyable experience, tourists and commuters alike willingly hand in their keys. The trick is creating a system that isn't simply a poor imitation of the automobile, but offers its own pleasures and comforts. While a railway or bus will never achieve the quiet solitude of a personal car, it can provide, much like a well-designed public park, an inviting, communal space. __My Kind of Transit__ is an animated tour of successful transportation systems, offering smart, commonsense analysis of what makes transit fun. Nordahl draws on examples like the iconic street cars of New Orleans and the picturesque cable cars in San Francisco, illustrating that the best transit systems are uniquely tailored to their individual cities. He also describes universal principles of good transit design. Nordahl's humanistic treatment will help planners, designers, transportation professionals, and policymakers create transit systems the public actually wants to ride. And it will introduce all readers to delightful ways of getting from point A to point B. "From San Francisco's famed cable cars to Pittsburgh's funiculars, from Seattle's spiffy monorail to the historic streetcars of New Orleans, from Chicago's El to Roosevelt Island's aerial tramway in New York City, Nordahl recounts a transportation history of both visionary policies and shortsighted planning. He reveals that current American transit systems contain many key elements for successfully expanding public transport, and he argues that the best forms of transit are those that not only provide passenger enrichment, but also function as memorable forms of public space, akin to public parks, plazas, squares, and streets. My Kind of Transit draws upon historical facts and field observations to explain the characteristics of ideal kinds of transit, and he offers fifteen design considerations to enhance public transportation in America, among them color, lighting, pace, route, scale, seating, and style." "Successful public transport must be a uniquely enjoyable experience for riders, My Kind of Transit contends, and Nordahl offers a new vision of civic engagement that occurs when public transit responds to the special qualities inherent in a place and its people."--Jacket Introduction the positive transit experience Disneyland : the fundamentals of an enjoyable ride Cable cars in San Francisco Streetcars in New Orleans and San Francisco Monorails in Seattle and Las Vegas Shuttles in Santa Barbara, Phoenix, and Chattanooga Taxicabs in New York City Funiculars in Pittsburgh Aerials and elevateds in New York City and Chicago Conclusion creating positive transit experiences. Explores America's beloved transit systems and how they work. From San Francisco's cable cars to Pittsburgh's funiculars to the streetcars of New Orleans, this title recounts a transportation history of both short-sighted planning and visionary policies.