CASCADE HEIGHTS BUS CANOPY
The Cascade Heights Bus Canopy is a pilot project for the Placemaking Program, an initiative of the Department of City Planning’s Office of Mobility. City Planning staff and consultant Pillyr Foundation worked with community members to design and implement a custom shelter that reflects the nature identity of the neighborhood and the functional needs of the residents. Features include real-time bus signage, landscaped planters, wayfinding graphics, and neighborhood branding.
WHAT WE ARE LEARNING
Engaging the community facilitates ownership: Residents in Cascade Heights collaborated with designers throughout the process as well as the post-installation maintenance.
Working with custom elements can be tricky: There are several working pieces to a successful project, and things don’t always go as planned. Project work should adapt to unforeseen obstacles and still be able to provide a design that is functional and attractive.
Small improvements can create major change: The bus canopy has made a positive impact on ridership as well as community pride and identity. It has become a landmark for Historic Cascade Heights and catches the eyes of riders throughout the city.
WHAT WE LIKE
Small in scale and large in impact: This small scale project displays incredible attention to detail not only in function, but also through materials and patterns. This aesthetic is even carried out through the simplicity and cleanliness of the plantings.
Provides shelter: The goal of the project was to create shelter for a highly utilized bus stop. That was achieved and now riders can stay safe from the elements while looking “cool.”
Expresses community identity: The bus canopy captures the look and feel of Cascade Heights which has the second densest canopy in the city and is considered Atlanta’s “community in a park.”
