A Exhibit Of The Saint Louis Elevated And Rapid Transit Railway Company: Presenting And Illustrating The Work Contemplated, Its Plans And Public Uses
A Exhibit Of The Saint Louis Elevated And Rapid Transit Railway Company: Presenting And Illustrating The Work Contemplated, Its Plans And Public Uses

Author: Saint Louis Elevated and Rapid Transi

Publisher: Legare Street Press

Published: 2023-07-18

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781020437755

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This book is a rare historical document detailing the planning and construction of the Saint Louis Elevated and Rapid Transit Railway, also known as the St. Louis MetroLink. It provides a fascinating look into the early days of public transportation in the United States and the challenges faced in building a modern urban transit system. A must-read for anyone interested in the history of urban planning and transportation. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

St. Louis MetroLink
St. Louis MetroLink

Author: Heather Grogan

Publisher:

Published: 2011

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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People often move through public transit space only recognizing the functional qualities. In such an environment we become faceless bodies moving through the landscape. As our environments become increasingly functional, so do humans--we cycle anonymously between work and home with little spontaneous interaction occurring in between. The daily routine is executed in nonplace: "Where once there were places we now find nonplaces. In real places the human being is a person. He or she is an individual, unique and possessing a character. In nonplaces, individuality disappears. In nonplaces, character is irrelevant and one is only the customer or shopper, client or patients, a body to be seated, and address to be billed, a car to be parked" (Oldenburg 1989, 205). The Maplewood light rail station in St. Louis County, Missouri is an example of nonplace. Although functional, the landscape lacks character. In order to combat nonplace sociologist Ray Oldenburg suggests that we cultivate third places--liminal spheres between home and work that facilitate informal social interaction. A major component of third place is user accessibility. Therefore, the ability to physically and mentally access public transit space will be investigated as a design dilemma. Through the reframing of physical and mental accessibility the Maplewood MetroLink station will evolve into a third place capable of supporting informal social interaction. In order to understand the factors influencing social interaction in public transit space, five precedents were examined using the Project for Public Spaces definition of "place." Characteristics found to promote social activity include linkages, flexibility, imageability and social infrastructure. The factors were further defined as 'mental' or 'physical' accessibility which were then used to analyze the Maplewood MetroLink station. After examining physical and mental accessibility at the Maplewood MetroLink station, a design solution was proposed. The design encourages users to pause and interact with each other and the landscape in a highly mobile environment.