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.
Review Quotes
"[Nordahl's] potent new e-book, Making Transit Fun!, has all the enthusiasm for buses, trains, and bike lanes that its title's exclamation point implies. Can transit incorporate art? Yes! How about playground equipment? You bet. Even … sex? Oh yeah, baby." Grist
"In a new e-book from Island Press called Making Transit Fun!: How to Entice Motorists from Their Cars (and onto Their Feet, a Bike, or Bus), urban designer and writer Darrin Nordahl writes that advocates for non-car transportation need to stop trying to appeal to reason and go for the gut instead…Nordahl's book is a reminder that transit has only lost when it aims low. We should always be looking for joy, even on the bus." Atlantic Cities
"It's a quick two-hour read full of well-researched examples and compelling arguments on the power of fun to affect our transportation experience." Next American City
"This book is very well written with plenty of examples (mostly from North America and Europe) and photos showing what he's talking about. It's divided into seven chapters with bouncy titles such as Seductive Transit, the Joy of Cycling, and Walker's Paradise." Carbusters
"...worth checking out in its entirety." NRDC's The Switchboard blog
Contents
Chapter 1. The Fun Theory Chapter 2. Door to Door Chapter 3. Seductive Transit Chapter 4. Extreme Makeover: Bus Edition Chapter 5. The Joy of Cycling Chapter 6. Walker's Paradise Chapter 7. Can we afford fun?
