Redefining Transportation Culture: a New Union Station for Los Angeles

From iconic stations like Grand Central in New York City to the small suburban commuter rail station, the architecture of transportation can have a large effect on the perception of a transportation system. Architecture can also play a large part in encouraging a changeover to more of a public transportation oriented culture. The planning of transit hubs and stations should be transitoriented so that it can reach the most amounts of people. However, a changeover to a transit-oriented society would require a city like Los Angeles to overhaul their current transportation system by adding more lines, connections, and increasing station capacity. The opportunity exists in Los Angeles to create a new addition and master plan to revitalize and develop the Union Station area; blending new and old along with integrating a historic symbol with a brand new one and creating a new type of urban neighborhood in downtown Los Angeles. The new public transportation architecture typology will have to do more by encouraging its users to actually use the facility. Through the creation of a “destination” people will be motivated to come to the station for more than just travel, eliminating the notion of a bland passenger processing building. Also through the development and planning of a transit-oriented development, people will be encouraged to actively use the transit system on a regular basis. This type of building will be the central hub for the cities transportation system and along with that it will become a symbol for the whole transportation system of the city