The Impact of Art on Transit
According to Newsday.com, New Jersey-ites are upset about art in the NJT system. New Jersey Transit has invested approximately $4.5 million in art for its stations over the past several years. Most of that money was federal grants.
The question is whether having art in a transit system is beneficial. Most pundits would tell you that it isn't. However, if you subscribe to the "broken windows" theory of development, art actually makes the system more livable and, therefore, encourages riders. While no one will tell you they ride transit because of the art, they will tell you they wouldn't ride transit if they felt it was either unsafe or uncomfortable. Art in the stations helps create an environment of comfort in the system by establishing a sense of order. In the long run, it's good for the system, even if it does cost a bit of money to install it.
In the case of New Jersey transit, that money comes to less than half of one percent of the projects cost. That's a cheap investment to create a system that is comfortable for riders.
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amg | 10:55 AM |
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The mosaics in the NYC subway make it look classier and draw the eye away from the filthy ground and rats playing tag in the tracks.
There's another bonus to station art - knowing where the hell you are. Having just moved to DC from Montreal, where the Metro itself is a giant work of art, you can instantly tell which station you've pulled into. On contrast, I've had a few 'oh, s#!t' moments in the DC Metro when I've been zoning out, we pull into a station, and I'm suddenly hunting for a low-contrast white-on-brown pole against a concrete background to see if I have to make a beeline for the door or not. NJT stations are very non-descript. Almost all (if not all) are outdoors, and have elevated platforms with some sort of shelter (think the stations in the median of I-66), and billboards with a small building where the ticket agents work. More art would be awfully nice.
I don't even think you need to pay artists to put art in train stations. Every time I ride the NYC subway and smell urine, I think to myself, "aah, Mappelthorpe must have an installation on the opposite platform" and I feel more cultured immidiately.
