New Urbanist Blacksburg 

storage (Town of Blacksburg, 2016). However, this should be accompanied by a continued push to increase Blacksburg Transit ridership and decrease both parking area demand and decrease automobile use and associated fossil fuel emissions.

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Research continues to show that people are more likely to utilize active transportation like walking and biking or use public transportation when their non-automobile options feel safe, inviting, and convenient. Green streets with shade from trees, complete sidewalk networks so pedestrians do not have to interact with vehicle traffic, and safe bike lanes generally result in less reliance on private automobiles, as does decreasing parking space and moving parking farther away or behind buildings (Environmental Protection Agency, 2008). Well lit streets and bus stops also decrease reliance on private automobiles by making residents feel more safe moving around the environment (Green et al., 2015). Furthermore, research suggests that landscaping and placemaking around bus stops can impact potential riders’ willingness to use transit instead of driving (Negue Ngan Associates, 2009). 

While the predominant bus stops on the Virginia Tech campus have adequate shelter and placemaking to make them appealing to potential riders, many bus stops in residential areas of Blacksburg lack shelter and therefore do not appeal to potential riders. Anecdotal evidence from Virginia Tech students suggests that parking on campus is significantly harder to find on rainy days, which is likely due to students choosing the inconvenient comfort of their personal vehicles over standing in the rain at an exposed bus stop. Therefore, the first use of Green New Deal funding to support Blacksburg Transit ridership should be to build more adequate, comfortable shelters in residential areas. A study done in Los Angeles showed that not only do bus stops provide shelter from the elements, they also advertise the transit system to the public (Law & Taylor, 2010). A bus stop that is exposed and appears uncomfortable sends potential riders the message that that transit system is solely for “other” people who cannot drive, while a bus stop that looks safe, clean, and inviting sends the message that that transit system is a practical and convenient alternative to driving (Law & Taylor, 2010). 

Currently, only some bus stops in residential areas have shelters, and these shelters tend to be inadequate in size to accommodate the amount of riders waiting during peak weekday times. Green New Deal funding should be applied to building a comfortable waiting area at every bus stop in a predominately residential area. While these should optimally be three-sided shelters with route information available inside the shelter, there are alternatives to the traditional shelter. Three-sided bus shelters should be accompanied where possible by increased tree planting. Tree canopies can provide protection from the elements as well as additional cooling during hot days, dust interception, absorption of harmful gasses from automobiles, and carbon absorption (McPherson & Biedenbender, 1991). Planting more native shade trees is not only more cost-effective than constructing dozens of bus shelters, but also can offset the carbon footprint generated by busses. Ideally, there will still be traditional but sustainably constructed bus shelters available at each residential bus stop, with shade trees covering additional overflow benches to accommodate increases in BT riders during peak times. 

Another creative placemaking approach trialled in Portland, Oregon has been to increase public artwork at bus stops. Generally, people are more likely to congregate in areas with public art (Markusen & Gadwa, n.d.) This can be seen in Blacksburg on any given weekend night, where students congregate in the Farmers Market area which has shelter, benches, and artwork instead of waiting for their busses near the Squires bus hub. Even though Squires has shelter and benches and is closer to their busses, students congregate at the Farmers Market because it has more intentional creative placemaking such as murals and landscaping. If bus stops are how a transit system advertises itself, public art can be an emotionally appealing, democratic advertisement which destroys the common suburban notion of busses being for “other” people who cannot drive themselves and instead establishes the belief that busses serve the community as a whole. When Portland trialled public art in TriMet transit stations, they saw an increase in ridership across socioeconomic classes, as well as increased civic engagement and more economic activity in local businesses (Markusen & Gadwa, n.d.). Therefore, not only should bus stops have shelters and native tree plantings provided through Green New Deal funding, but local artists and Virginia Tech students should be given the opportunity to create community art that establishes bus stops as intentional gathering places that are part of the greater community, and that appeal to the variety of socioeconomic classes that potential BT riders may come from. Overall, this accomplishes the Green New Deal goal of lessening fossil fuel emissions by lessening reliance on private automobiles. It also may lessen demand for parking space, which would allow more open space conservation in the long run.