Making Transit Fun!: How to Entice Motorists from Their Cars (and onto their feet, a bike, or bus)

Darrin Nordahl

Apr 2012 · Island Press

About this ebook

Why do people in Stockholm prefer to take the stairs over the escalator? Why do Londoners enjoy hanging out at bus stops? How do carmakers convince us to buy gas-guzzling, environmentally damaging, and wallet-draining machines? It's called the fun theory. What Darrin Nordahl illustrates in this delightful book is that transit can be just as inviting, exciting, and even seductive as the automobile, if designed with the passenger experience in mind.

In Making Transit Fun!, Nordahl shows that with the help of architects, urban designers, graphic artists, industrial engineers, marketing experts-and even fashion designers-we can lure people out of their automobiles and toward healthier, more sustainable methods of transportation.

This accessible E-ssential focuses on the possibilities for making public transit, cycling, and walking more appealing to the motorist. In each section, Nordahl demonstrates how the transit stigma can be overcome with innovative design. From the aesthetics of buses to segregated bike lanes and pedestrian-priority streets, Nordahl showcases examples from around the world that excite the heart and bring an easy smile.

Ratings and reviews

The ideas in the book put a smile on my face as it should.

About the author

Darrin Nordahl is an urban designer who writes and speaks about food and public transportation. He has degrees in landscape architecture and urban design from the University of California. Darrin is the author of My Kind of Transit and Public Produce, both available from Island Press.