Written by
Marybeth Luczak, editor-in-chief
CTA received the 2021 Greatest Impact Award from AIA Illinois for its $ 43 million renovation of historic Garfield Station on the south side of Chicago.
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has received an architecture award for the renovation project of the Garfield Green Line station. In addition, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) now accepts contactless payments in all light rail, bus, and Dallas streetcar vehicles; and Phoenix Valley Metro’s Small Business Financial Assistance Program pilot has paid out more than $ 250,000 since it was launched this spring.
AIA Illinois, the state component of the national American Institute of Architects, honored CTA with the Greatest Impact Award 2021 for transforming Garfield Station into a “joyful, celebratory arrival in the Washington Park neighborhood” on the south side of Chicago.
It is the third major architectural award that CTA won for its $ 43 million Garfield Gateway project, which was completed in January 2019. Last year the station won the AIA Chicago Distinguished Building Award and the Interior Architecture Award. Interior Design Magazine, which leads the design industry’s awards program, has also named the facility as one of three finalists in the Best of the Year Awards, a global competition.
The renovation project included extended platform roofs; improved accessibility of the platform; improved elevators and escalators; and public art by Chicago artist Nick Cave.
Caves “multidisciplinary artwork, designs, and materials blend with the station’s key architectural components – its mosaic ceiling, molten glass windshields, lenticular pillars, and the exterior of the station’s steel elevator towers – to create a quirky, eye-catching structure,” said Caves CTA.
In addition to the CTA engineering team, project partners included contractor Walsh Construction; the architecture / design / engineering office of EXP; Art glass installations from Skyline Design; and Nick Cave Studios.
The Garfield ‘L’ station dates back to 1892 and was originally used for the World’s Fair in Colombia. Today it comprises two station buildings – one currently serves commuters and the other is the restored, original station building that the city of Chicago designated a Historic Landmark in 2001 and now serves as a community-based art facility.
Contactless payment enables DART drivers to pay for their fare using a contactless credit or debit card, or a solvent mobile phone or portable device. As with the use of the mobile GoPass® app from DART and the GoPass® Tap card, passengers simply hold their card or device up to any DART GoPass Tap card reader, drive and go, according to the transport company. The readers are located on the platforms at train stations and on board DART buses and Dallas streetcar vehicles; the GoPass Tap system automatically selects the best local adult fare for the driver.
The DART Contactless Payment System is based on Vix Pulse, a “multimodal multi-operator solution that combines account-based ticketing as well as mobile and contactless payments in a secure, easy-to-use and managed platform,” reported the agency.
Credit and debit cards from the Visa®, Mastercard®, American Express® and Discover® networks are currently accepted. Digital wallets on a smartphone, smartwatch, or other wearable device are supported, including Google Pay ™, Apple Pay®, Samsung Pay®, and Fitbit Pay ™. If a credit / debit card has a chip but is not contactless, it can be connected to a digital wallet and used with a mobile device.
DART drivers can also register their contactless payment method on GoPass.org and receive a tariff cap. “With the contactless payment cap, you never pay more than the total cost of a local adult day pass in a single day,” said DART. “As a local driver, after spending a total of US $ 6 on one day, customers will not be charged another fare until the next day. With a registered contactless payment method, drivers will never spend more than the total cost of a monthly pass ($ 96) in a calendar month. In each calendar month, after purchasing 16 day passes or the equivalent, drivers will not be charged any additional tariff until the end of that month. “
Valley Metro’s Small Business Financial Assistance Program pilot launched in March to help locally owned small businesses near the South Central Extension / Downtown Hub and Northwest Extension Phase II light rail construction corridors in Phoenix, Arizona. More than $ 250,000 was paid to 50. previously distributed small businesses, the transit agency reported on September 22nd.
The program is funded with $ 2.3 million from Phoenix Transportation 2050 and the Phoenix Community Development & Investment Corporation. It offers two levels of financial assistance that can be requested annually. “Tier I allows companies to receive $ 3,000 during the pilot year or apply for Tier II, where they can receive up to $ 9,000 depending on the demonstrated business impact,” Valley Metro said. The funds “are designed to support and support these small businesses and can be used to offset business operating expenses such as rent / mortgages, utilities, insurance and payrolls”.
The program complements Valley Metro’s business support tools, such as: B. improved signage and wayfinding; Community events; Social media / marketing assistance; Accounting / financial planning; and dedicated, one-stop-shop to meet all business needs, according to Valley Metro Business Assistance Coordinator Jose Galindo.
“The light rail is a huge and important investment in our community,” said Kate Gallego, Mayor of Phoenix. “It is also important to ensure that businesses near the railway construction zones survive and thrive. I have no doubt that this much-needed help will keep our urban centers alive and active for generations to come. “
“Small businesses are the driving force behind our city,” said Carlos Garcia, Vice Mayor of Phoenix. “Between the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and long-term transportation construction, a grant through the Small Business Financial Assistance Program can have a huge impact on keeping a business open.”
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