brennan + company architects

Considering the billions going toward new highways in the stimulus package, one must seriously wonder how we are going to resolve mass transit and land use issues. The brave at MIT march on.

MIT researchers are designing a futuristic bus stop called the EyeStop. A collaboration between architects and engineers in the SENSEable City Lab. From MIT News:

Riders can plan a bus trip on an interactive map, surf the Web, monitor their real-time exposure to pollutants and use their mobile devices as an interface with the bus shelter. They can also post ads and community announcements to an electronic bulletin board at the bus stop, enhancing the EyeStop's functionality as a community gathering space.

The EyeStop could change the whole experience of urban travel," said Carlo Ratti, Head of the SENSEable City Lab at MIT. "At the touch of a finger, passengers can get the shortest bus route to their destination or the position of all the buses in the city. The EyeStop will also glow at different levels of intensity to signal the distance of an approaching bus."

In addition to displaying information, the bus stop also acts as an active environmental sensing node, powering itself through sunlight and collecting real-time information about the surrounding environment.

EyeStop is like an 'info-tape' that snakes through the city," said project leader Giovanni de Niederhousern. It senses information about the environment and distributes it in a form accessible to all citizens.

Still, we are putting BILLIONS into new highways!