cascade heights: bus shelter

As part of the Department of City Planning’s grant program, City staff and local design consultant Pillyr Foundation worked with community members to design and implement a custom shelter that reflected the identity of the neighborhood while also meeting the functional needs of the residents. Features include real-time bus signage, landscaped planters, wayfinding graphics, and neighborhood branding.

Our goal with this project was to have a large impact through a small scale project. The design pays incredible attention to detail not only in function, but also through materials and patterns. This aesthetic is even carried out through the simplicity and clean lines of the plantings, while serving the function of creating shelter for bus riders. 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.

WHAT WE LEARNed

• Engaging the community facilitates ownership: Cascade Heights residents 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 and on community pride and identity. It has become a landmark for Historic Cascade Heights and catches the eyes of riders throughout the city.