Speaker
Description
Authors: Ar. Sabeen Mehmood, Lecturer, Dept. Architecture Buitems,
Co Author: Sophia Mairaj, Lecturer, COMSATS Lahore.
Creating interactive local bus stops are not only an absolute necessity for anyone who wishes to use public transportation, but also for those who refrain themselves from travelling by public transportation. Bus stops should be considered as vital points of interaction to not only improve the urban environment but as well as to encourage citizens to use more public transport rather than private vehicles. Unfortunately, in our society bus stops are either considered as an unnecessary waste of space or poorly designed that it creates a more nuisance for the user rather than to provide shelter while they wait.
Majority bus stops in our locality lie deep in grit and garbage. Users prefer to wait on the road side rather than the bus stop or in many cases it is observed that people tend to run towards bus which makes situation not only dangerous, it is highly inconvenient for the waiter as well as for the arrival of the bus along with flow of traffic on the road.
This paper intends to present a design case study based on various ideas and attempts by architects, artists and psychologist to enrich experience of bus stop user’s thorough designing bus stop more user interactive as well as user friendly .
Aim of the conceptual designs proposed for bus stops were to assess:
i) Impact of proper designed public space on the mental health of the society member.
ii) Creating more sustainable urban environment within a community through design integration in the form of a prototype bus stop which is more user interactive and user friendly.
For the case study researchers have selected Karachi, a metropolitan city of Pakistan, where public transportation is widely used as mode of transportation amongst all the mediocre and lower class residing within the city. Comparative study is carried out between people who prefer public transportation and those who prefer private.
Objective and goal of the study is to suggest and present conceptual design with the research to propose the idea of improvement of a public space that will encourage the use of public transportation. Moreover use of public transportation will lead to reduction in carbon foot print as well as it may help Government in improving public transportation through revenue generation as it may attract sponsors to put their interactive adds on the bus stop.
