Since 2002, the CTA commissioned 34 projects as part of the city’s arts in transit program.

Enhancing the Transit Experience

Every day, millions of passengers pay their fares, wait at stations, and board trains. But stations are more than just a place to catch a train. More and more, metros around the world have incorporated public art and station designs to transform train stations from being purely functional to integrated, distinctive places, living museums, or reflections of the area’s past or future.  Recognizing that mass transit has the potential to impact the community at large, in 1995, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) formalized its “Art in Transit” program to inspire vibrancy in public spaces and improve the appearance and safety of transit facilities.  To qualify for the FTA funds, agencies must designate .5 to 5 percent of total construction costs for art and design.

Traditionally, to qualify for Art in Transit dollars, an agency needed a signature art installation or station design. However, several U.S. cities have incorporated unique ideas to energize and revitalize their train stations to meet the qualifications.  In 1985, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City established the “Music under New York” (MUNY) program, where more than 100 registered musicians and artists contribute approximately 150 weekly performances to the liveliness and culture of the city’s subway system.  Closer to home, St. Louis, Mo., inaugurated “Poetry in Motion” in 1992, to display poems written by local artists on MetroLink trains and buses.  The city also developed a program that could be used in classrooms throughout St. Louis that would teach students about the importance of art in the city. This program used the art in transit program to further develop this concept.

Art in Transit can help build community pride or identify a particular place. Of Chicago’s 700 official public art collections, almost 7 percent was commissioned by the CTA’s Arts in Transit program.  In 1993, a partnership with the CTA, a city-run youth art program, and the National Museum of Mexican Art worked together to beautify the 18^th Street Station with the color, culture and folklore of the Mexican community. On the North Side, a local restaurant “adopted the station” at Belmont Avenue on the Brown and Red Lines, and incorporated artwork that celebrates the neighborhood’s diversity. In Chinatown, customers disembarking from the Orange Line at Cermak Road are welcomed by a pair of lion statues believed to protect against evil spirits.  Since 2002, the CTA has invested almost $4 million for art projects at CTA stations throughout the system.

Transit stations have often become destinations themselves, attracting people, activity, and establishing a sense of place.  Art in Transit improves the quality of stations and engages artists and community leaders to become a part of an important asset in their neighborhoods. It improves passenger comfort and safety and can reinforce the local community’s spirit and identity. In the long run, Art in Transit can add value to the greater community and help build ridership at stations. As the next federal authorization bill takes shape, it is important to advocate for these types of programs and reward communities that want to build a community benefit broader than the station.

Photo courtesy of Jim Simandl

For Additional Information:

• St. Louis Arts in Transit Curriculum Kit 2008:
• Art in Transit – Public Art Online http://www.publicartonline.org.uk/resources/reports/repregeneration/artintransit.php
• Art in Transit: Making it Happen – Federal Transit Administration

 

NEWS

Local News

Howard Learner: Rural America needs more transportation alternatives – State Journal-Register “In rural America, where the percentage of people over 65 years of age is expected to triple, mobility can be challenging and more transportation alternatives are needed.”

Will political wrangling kill airport, expressway? – Southtown Star “Gov. Pat Quinn's renewed interest in building the Illiana Expressway has Southland residents wondering aloud whether the long-planned third airport near Peotone will ever become a reality.”

Intermodal dreams slow to take shape in NWI – Northwest Indiana Times “Four years after Northwest Indiana leaders threw their weight behind an effort to land a major truck and rail intermodal center capable of creating thousands of jobs, the region has yet to land the big one.”

Ridership on Ill. Amtrak routes rises – Chicago Tribune “Amtrak says 1.8 million passengers rode its state-supported trains in Illinois in fiscal year 2009, a slight increase from 2008.”

Report: 70 percent of Metra bridges need upgrades – Daily Herald “Seventy percent of Metra bridges and 42 percent of CTA bridges are past their ‘useful life,’ according to a preliminary report presented to the RTA board Thursday.”

State senator would consider leasing tollway – Daily Herald “State Sen. Bill Brady, a Bloomington Republican, says he would consider selling the Illinois tollway to a private company if elected to the state's top post, putting him at odds with at least one challenger in the GOP primary for governor.”

Rehab of 27 stations to cost Metra $136 mil. – Daily Herald “Metra will spend $136 million on a five-year station-improvement program, using capital money from the state.”

 

World News

Obama skeptical about 'shovel-ready' projects' long-term impact – Washington Post “The administration has all year been grappling with the tension between doing stimulus initiatives that deliver a fast jolt to the economy and those that take longer to get underway but are more transformative in the long term.”

House Transport Panel Head Seeks $69 Billion in New Spending – Wall Street Journal “House Transportation Committee Chairman James Oberstar on Wednesday called for at least $69 billion in new federal spending on highway and transit projects.”

Oregon sets out to see if toll road is one it wants to take – Daily Journal of Commerce “The Jobs and Transportation Act, introduced by Gov. Ted Kulongoski at the start of the 2009 legislative session, included language requiring at least one tolling pilot program.”

Transit systems nationwide find strong ridership on superfast lines – Herald Net “Community Transit studied most of the other 21 BRT systems in the nation in preparation for establishing Swift, and found first-year increases in ridership anywhere from 20 percent to 70 percent on the corridors where the buses were introduced.”

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announces electric vehicle infrastructure plan – Los Angeles Times “By this time next year, electric vehicles could be popping up all around Los Angeles, and the ‘quintessential city of sprawl’ plans to be ready.”

US DOT Announces Up To $280 Mln In Funds For Streetcars, Buses – Wall Street Journal “The Obama administration will provide up to $280 million in grants for streetcars, city buses and similar urban transit projects, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced Tuesday.”

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood talks of hike in federal gas tax – Star Telegram “Congress should consider raising the federal gas tax for the first time since 1993, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Monday during a visit to Fort Worth.”

Officials seeking study of charging vehicles for trips – Washington Examiner “Washington-area drivers could be asked to pay 15 cents per mile if the region becomes the first major metropolitan area in the country to change how it pays for roads.”

Study: 'Walkable neighborhoods' could save state $31M – Sacramento Business Journals “By creating walkable neighborhoods with more transportation choices, Californians could save $31 million and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 34 percent, according to a study released Thursday.”

Company Piles Up Profits From City’s Parking Meter Deal – New York Times “After a rocky start hurt their bottom line, Chicago’s new parking meter operators are raking in more than $1.1 million a week and expect even more revenue next year, according to internal company documents obtained by the Chicago News Cooperative.”

Resources

• Windfall for All: How Connected, Convenient Neighborhoods Can Protect Our Climate and Safeguard California’s Economy – Transform
• Comparative Evaluation of Rail and Truck Fuel Efficiency on Competitive Corridors – Federal Railroad Administration

Enjoy Talking Transit?  The content is a result of the research, outreach and advocacy efforts of MPC’s dedicated Transportation team.  You can make a difference on the issues you read about here by making a donation to MPC today, http://www.metroplanning.org/donation.asp.

Contact Information
For comments, suggestions or submissions, please contact Emily Tapia Lopez, Associate, at etapia@metroplanning.org or 312-863-6047.