Urban Design Guidelines - Valley Metro

URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES∆ Provide acceptable comfort for theuser of the system in terms of temperaturemitigation and sun glarewhen approaching the platform,waiting on the platform, or riding inthe vehicle.∆ Stations should use easily maintainedmaterials and designs thatwill resist vandalism, and facilitatelow cost replacement parts.∆ Landscaping should be used as atool to provide visual relief from theurban environment and shade fromheat.∆ Research the use of creative andtime-tested material/design solutions(especially energy efficient orsolar options) that conform to therigorous demands of this climateand provide long-term durability.∆ Look for ways to include currentand future conveniences into the stationconfigurations.Respects the Places ItPasses Through∆ Station design and its related elementsshould enhance, preserve orexceed the current urban designqualities of the station area and surroundingcommunity.∆ Design stations and station areas torespect the desert environment, thelandscape, and the neighborhood inwhich it sits.∆ To whatever extent possible attemptto preserve or replace significantlandscape elements deemed valuableto the greater community.∆ All system design elements shouldbe respectful of historic elements.∆ Stations and station areas should bedesigned to create optimum bicycle,pedestrian and bus connectivity.∆ The potential for system operationnoise, parking noise and overflow ofparking into neighborhoods shouldbe mitigated through design on acase-by-case basis.∆ Lighting for stations, station areas,station approaches and the systemshould be designed so as not to negativelyimpact adjacent uses.Attractive∆ The light rail vehicles should bedesigned to reflect a system identitythat is distinct from the bus systemand promotes a streamlined transportationalternative.∆ The interior of the light rail vehiclesshould be designed to accommodatethe wide range of ages, abilities, andbaggage.∆ Public art should contribute to theexperience of riding the system byproviding a sense of discovery andwonder.∆ Connections between the neighborhoodand the stations should bedesigned in such a way so as toencourage ridership.∆ Approaches to stations and parkand-ridesshould be well lit and freeof barriers.∆ Stations should be designed to beattractive and a pleasant place towait.∆ Consider enhancing view corridorsor creating new ones along the alignment.∆ Public art can be a wonderful tool touse in landmarking and providingsymbolic connections between theneighborhood and the system.Page 7